"Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jamie Ford

It is somewhat fascinating that regardless of the fact that we are all humans, we always managed to find ways to differentiate and categorize ourselves, whether it is based on gender, race, age, political alignment or religious beliefs.

One of the least explored aspects of World War II was the treatment Asians had to endure back in America; the Japanese were shipped off liberally to special camps (not concentration camps, but not exactly your jolly summer camps either) because they were suspected to be with the enemy.

And that’s without mentioning all the brainwashed bigots who made it their objective to sniff out the Japanese spies at any cost. Jamie Ford wrote a book somewhat looking into that issue titled A Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. It tells the story of a young Chinese boy Henry living in Seattle during the war.

The story is recounted from two perspectives, both of them belonging to Henry. However, the first one is his perspective in the moment, with the second one being his take on things 40 years later. Henry recounts not only his misadventures, but more importantly, how he found himself face-to-face with racism with the inability to do anything about it.

He was forced to wear a badge which said "I am Chinese" and he could not reveal his friendship with Keiko, a Japanese student and the interest of his young romance. Needless to say, they do get separated with their only hope being that the war will end and that the prejudice will die out.

All in all, this book is somewhat of a cutesy romantic tale which spans a very long time. However, beneath the romance story lies something much more interesting: an exploration of what it was like to live in an Asian family during one of America’s most turbulent times.

There is an in-depth look at the rampant prejudice, racism, and even repression from the government as Asian families (although mostly Japanese) were constantly subjected to police raids while being completely helpless.

In addition to that, Jamie also takes the time to look into the dynamics of Asian families living in America and the importance nationality plays for them, or at least for the older members of the family.

All in all, an entertaining read with interesting and compelling thoughts to be found beneath a somewhat banal love story.

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Jamie Ford Personal site Jamie Ford is an American writer who has gained much of his fame from his bestselling debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, earning the #1 Book Club Pick for Fall 2009/Winter 2010 by the American Booksellers Association. According to the man himself, he is also working on a series for young adults, something his agent doesn’t even know yet (provided he did not read his website).