- Author: Julie Otsuka
- Paperback: 144 pages
- When the Emperor Was Divine discussion questions from the publisher
Description
Julie Otsuka’s commanding debut novel paints a portrait of the Japanese internment camps unlike any we have ever seen. With crystalline intensity and precision, Otsuka uses a single family to evoke the deracination—both physical and emotional—of a generation of Japanese Americans. In five chapters, each flawlessly executed from a different point of view—the mother receiving the order to evacuate; the daughter on the long train ride to the camp; the son in the desert encampment; the family’s return to their home; and the bitter release of the father after more than four years in captivity—she has created a small tour de force, a novel of unrelenting economy and suppressed emotion. Spare, intimate, arrestingly understated, When the Emperor Was Divine is a haunting evocation of a family in wartime and an unmistakably resonant lesson for our times. It heralds the arrival of a singularly gifted new novelist. Published in 2002, 144 pages.
Research the author and the book using library resources
Information on the author’s life and works is available through our library’s online resources. Recommended online resources for When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka include Biography Resource Center. Enter your library barcode and then use the author’s name or the book title to search for full-text encyclopedia or magazine articles.
Additional information
An interview with the author to discuss her family’s history and the writing of the novel from the publisher
“Simmering Perfection.” Novelist Julie Otsuka. Asian American Profiles. GoldSea.
“Julie Otsuka.” Interview. AsiaSource.
On the Same Page 2005 from the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library provides book reviews, a book excerpt, historical information, and further reading suggestions.
A curriculum study guide (pdf) developed by the Santa Clara County Office of Education.
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