From Stephanie Morrill, author of The Lost Girl of Astor Street, comes Within These Lines, the love story of a girl and boy torn apart by racism during World War II.Evalina Cassano’s life in an Italian-American family in 1941 is everything it “should be” until she falls in love with Taichi Hamasaki, the son of Japanese immigrants. Despite the scandal it would cause and that inter-racial marriage … that inter-racial marriage is illegal in California, Evalina and Taichi vow they will find a way to be together. But anti-Japanese feelings erupt across the country after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Taichi and his family are forced to give up their farm and move to an internment camp.
Degrading treatment make life at Manzanar Relocation Center difficult. Taichi’s only connection to the outside world are treasured letters from Evalina. Feeling that the only action she can take to help Taichi is to speak out on behalf of all Japanese Americans, Evalina becomes increasingly vocal at school and at home. Meanwhile, inside Manzanar, fighting between different Japanese-American factions arises. Taichi begins to doubt he will ever leave the camp alive.
With tensions running high and their freedom on the line, Evalina and Taichi must hold true to their values and believe in their love to make a way back to each other against unbelievable odds.
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Thought provoking and timely, Within These Lines highlights a dark period in history. Through compelling characters, we see the injustice and feel the fears and doubts and dilemmas. But mostly, we see the shimmering ribbon of hope through Evalina and Taichi’s unrelenting love. Stephanie Morrill has written a novel to ponder, a novel to cherish.
Within These Lines will steal your breath, your heart, and your thoughts for days after you’ve finished. An always-timely look at prejudice and the importance of taking action combines with a tale of deepest love and self-sacrifice. Flawless and beautiful.
Within These Lines will both break your heart and awaken it. Evalina and Taichi’s story not only navigates a precarious romance, but it challenges racism, injustice, and the temptation to stay silent. Their boldness and call to action will stick with you long after you turn the last page. I applaud Morrill’s storytelling and cannot recommend this book enough — a must-read for all historical fiction fans!
Poignant and evocatively relevant, Within These Lines is a tale of star-crossed love and heartrending discrimination with characters that leap off the page and challenge us to stand against the injustice in our own time. A gripping read!
Heartrending and timely, Evalina and Taichi’s story leaps off the page. Morrill deftly weaves history and fiction together, shining a light on the realities of America’s World War II-era home front through the eyes of her fiery and steadfast protagonists. From start to satisfying finish, historical fiction readers won’t want to miss Morrill’s latest.
A frightening portrait of how suspicion and fear of Japanese Americans during World War II led to the incarceration of thousands at Manzanar and other camps. Precise in its history, intimate in detail, Stephanie Morrill’s sensitively written novel brings to life a shameful era of American injustice, one that echoes events in the present day.
MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK
Evalina Cassano and Taichi Hamasaki both lives in San Francisco with their parents. Evalina’s parents purchase produce from Hamasaki’s parents. As they spend time together, they fall in love. Something that shouldn’t have happened. Interracial marriage is illegal in California and Taichi is the son of Japanese immigrants. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Hamasaki Family we’re forced to move to a Japanese-American internment camp. But these two young people determined to find a way to be together. But will the government continue to keep them apart?
This is a haunting novel indeed. The degrading way the Japanese were rudely taken from their homes, and even more degrading way their living conditions were in the internment camp were difficult to read. And I think of the way California laws are today, it’s difficult to believe there was a time they didn’t allow inter-racial marriages!
Stephanie Morrill’s Within These Lines is a wonderfully written historical fiction that takes readers back to a very difficult time in history. The historical events in the book was like taking a trip back in time, living the attack on Pearl Harbor and all of the after effects. The characters were skillfully created and played their parts well as the story developed. I am glad to know Evelina and Taichi, and to walk with them through the darkest moments of their lives, as well as the happier times. Their determination to take what life threw at them was a powerful story to read. Even though this book is written for the YA market, I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you enjoy war stories, stories with the historical setting at the time of Pearl Harbor, you will I’ve reading this book!
I received this book from JustReads Tours to read and review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 55.
From the very start, I knew that “Within These Lines” was going to be good. Love is difficult enough as it is, but these (incredible) characters also had to fight through the hatred of society and the pain of war. The plot was strong and kept me hooked. The 1940s setting was vivid and the characters were lovable in so many ways. With truth and wisdom weaved throughout, Morrill tells a story that shows us how to fight for love.
Morrill’s book was touching, but it was educating, too. I’ve never had historical fiction teach me so much and make me want to learn more about the subject. Simply put, the content of this book is important. Topics like these (interracial love, the darker side of American history, race, etc.) deserve to be covered more often with the care and respect Morrill used when writing this book.
I’m so glad that I was able to read this novel through a review copy, and I’m excited for the rest of the world to get to read it, too! I would absolutely recommend “Within These Lines” to anyone interested in romance, YA, and/or historical fiction.
I received a free advanced copy of Within These Lines as part of the FFBC Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review.
Told from the alternating perspectives of two young lovers, Within These Lines tracks Evalina Cassano and Taichi Hamasaki through emotional & psychological disaster, while exploring the social and physical landscape of America in the grip of world war and prejudice.
1942, California. For the past year, Evalina Cassano and Taichi Hamasaki carry on their teenage love affair in secret–meeting when and where they can, brushing hands, and slipping letters to each other. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, their bittersweet budding romance is further strained when (per Executive Order 9066) Taichi, his family, and thousands of Japanese Americans are forcibly evacuated to concentration camps. Few decry these civil injustices. Among them, Evalina becomes bolder and more vocal even as she faces opposition.
Torn from their farm life and everything they know, Taichi and his family are forced to reside in the Manzanar War Relocation Center, one of ten American concentration camps where over 100,000 Japanese Americans are detained. There, he and his family have no choice but to live in hastily built, poorly constructed shelters, and endure neglect and harsh living conditions under the watchful eye of an administration and military police ill-prepared to receive them. Taichi, his family, and many camp residents try their best to hold onto their pride, dignity, hope, and patriotism. But it is not long before unrest takes hold of some and whispers of uprisings spread through the camp, threatening the fragile peace of all within its limits.
Morrill’s take on America’s war-torn past details enough of the socio-political climate, physical environment, and all manner of conflicts inside and out of Manzanar to remind us why we turn to historical fiction time and again. Morrill’s writing is eloquent as tackles many nuances of the everyday life and struggles of the people and the period. Miscegeny, racism, and feminism are just a few of the issues Morrill addresses.
Her carefully rendered characters each have distinct presence, commanding our attention in unique ways. Evalina is a force–a spirited young woman who, though plagued many doubts, is determined to fight for those she loves and what she believes in. Taichi is a gentle spirit, possessing an internal strength and calm that is welcome (especially in the devastating times he and his family face) and balances well with Evalina’s impulsive nature. Although not a main character, Aiko is bound to be a favorite with her no-nonsense attitude and stark, refreshing wisdom.
In Within These Lines, Morrill expertly blends historical fact and fiction to create an unforgettable story of love, suffering, and perseverance. Morrill’s timely narrative calls into question what it truly means to be free, what we should be expected to sacrifice, and what we are willing to tolerate–as individuals and as a society.
Rating: 3.75/5
The original review was posted on Absolute Bookishness: https://absolutebookishness.wordpress.com/2019/03/09/blog-tour-within-these-lines-by-stephanie-morrill-giveaway/
I enjoy reading Historical Fiction, and WWII has always fascinated me. I appreciated the author bringing to light this lesser-known and heart-wrenching time during this period in American History and dealing with it with a sense of grace and gravity.
I liked that we were able to view this time from the perspective of a young, multi-racial couple. Evalina is Italian-American, Taichi is Japanese-American. I think because of that, we were able to see, even more clearly the struggles and prejudices these people were forced to face.
I liked Taichi. He was authentic and relatable. Even after being forced from his home and being made to live in terrible conditions, he (and his family) still maintained such a level of dignity and patriotism, and that made me really admire them. I’m glad the author allowed us to read from his POV and get a “first-hand” view of what life really might have been like in the Japanese-American Internment Camps.
(Note: I have always admired the Nissei that fought with such distinction in WWII, and I like that the author touched on them just a bit, even if I would have liked to read a bit more… )
For some reason, though, I had a hard time connecting with Evalina. I understand her heartache and that there were so many horrible things happening that she was nearly powerless to change, but I would have liked to see more kindness and sincere trying to influence real change, instead of just anger…
Overall, though, this was a really incredible book. I think I read it in about a day. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did—truly a good read. I think it is so incredibly important that we as Americans take an honest look at our history and learn from it, so we do not repeat the same mistakes as those that went before.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review, and all opinions are my own.
A thoughtful and moving story of forbidden love under the dual pressures of wartime and of intolerance, Within These Lines grabs you with its mix of fascinating historical fact and heart-melting fiction. Stephanie Morrill keeps you hoping against hope right up to the very last page.
Haunting and evocative, Within These Lines tells the story of a young American couple separated by war and racism.
Evalina Cassano and Taichi Hamasaki’s lives are changed forever with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Taichi and his family are sent away to Manzanar Internment Camp for the duration of the war, while Evalina must remain. Their love for each other is tested by distance, time, and the experiences that they each face.
Evalina is passionate and courageous, she doesn’t back down when it comes to fighting for the one that she loves. Evalina is definitely determined, and when she sets her mind to something, it usually comes to pass. I admired how she didn’t give up, through it all she put her head down and kept going.
Taichi has always been his family’s “Good Boy” a good student and athlete, he works hard alongside his family on their farm. When he and his family are sent away to Manzanar he questions what his future will hold, and if he can ever overcome the things that he cannot change. Taichi isn’t a complainer, but as unrest grows in the camp he must decide where his loyalties lie, and can he stand with a country that won’t stand with him? I admired Taichi for his often quiet strength, his protectiveness and stubborn streak.
Overall, a compelling glimpse into the impact of the Japanese internment, and how it affected those within and out. A chilling read, that captures the raw emotion of the injustices suffered by many Japanese-Americans. I liked how it showed how we can love a country and not agree with everything it does, and deals with a difficult time in history. This not a popular subject matter, and I thought that the author did an excellent job of showing the varying sentiments within Manzanar and how people dealt with the internment differently. The camp is brought to life in stark, jarring detail, with only flashes of life outside brought to Taichi through letters. I liked how in the impact of the war is shown through Evalina and Taichi’s peers, and the choices they make as well. This is a story that quietly grabbed me and didn’t let me go till the last page, compelling, haunting, and thought-provoking, a worthy read that you won’t want to miss.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and testimonials in Advertising.”
4.5 Stars
There is a shadow over America’s involvement in World War II that’s often skipped over or brushed aside, and Stephanie Morrill wades into the waters of America’s distrust of, prejudice toward, and mistreatment of Japanese-Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
This book is powerful with its depictions of the conditions and atmosphere of the internment camp at Manzanar. Morrill paints a vivid picture of life inside the camp without getting too graphic for a younger audience.
And her characters are wonderful. Evalina is a fiery young lady who voices the truths she’s seen with her own eyes and defends the unpopular opinion no matter the pushback she receives. Taichi is a quiet sort of hero who does his best to support his friends and family in Manzanar while guarding those he loves outside from the truth of his experiences. Both of these characters, so different, yet somehow perfect for each other, will stick with me for a long time as will many of the supporting cast—James, Diego, and Aiko each added to round out this story.
Within These Lines acts as both a reminder of some forgotten/glossed over history and a caution to judge an entire people group by the acts of a few. It’s a difficult, yet sweet, coming-of-age story where young love weathers impossible odds.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Originally posted on Word Play (www.gabriellenblog.wordpress.com).
This was such a good book! I loved both of the protagonists, and only wish I could’ve seen more of them (especially together).
Highlights:
-Characters. Love these precious cinnamon rolls. ‘Nuff said.
-Time period–I don’t know a lot about what went on at home during WWII, so I appreciated this alternative look at this difficult time in history.
-All the emotion. Normally, I’m not a fan of strong emotion, but this book did it just right. Loved it.
Lowlights:
-I really wanted to see the story of how Taichi and Evalina fell in love in the first place. We only saw snatches of it in flashbacks, which made me sad. In other words, more Evalina and Taichi!!!
-The plot wasn’t what I was expecting (but this could just be because I’m not super familiar with the genre.) I kept looking for a clear rising action, climax, and falling action, but it wasn’t as clean cut as I expected.
-The ending felt a wee bit rushed (not enough winding down from such a build-up). Also, I would’ve liked to see more of what happened between the ending and the epilogue. GIVE ME MORE TAICHI AND EVALINA. Ahem…please?
4.5 stars! Recommended for ages 13 and up.
Content warnings:
Sexual: light kisses, not described. One character has a miscarriage out of wedlock before the story, and it is mentioned a few times.
Language: Racial slurs are used against characters of Japanese descent.
Violence: The Japanese Americans are often targets of attacks–both from Caucasians and Japanese loyalists. Several violent incidents occur on page, but none are graphic.
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the review copy!
Although this one actually started off slow for me, and I was unsure if I would like it, it really redeemed itself in the end. I usually love historical fiction like this, especially when it is about certain parts of history that I only know the bare minimum about. To be honest, the only thing I really knew about the Japanese detainment camps during WWII had to do with what I’d learned from one of the characters in the original Karate Kid movie. Yeah, I know, that’s sad. I’m sure I learned other things in school, but that is all that stuck with me.
The book started out seeming like it was just going to be a pretty simple romance story with some of the historical times that it was set in. But once we got to the point where Taichi got sent to the camp, it really got into what resonated with me. The fact that here in America we would start a camp, and run it, almost as bad as what the Nazi’s were doing in Germany, frustrates me. However, the book reminded me about how the press made sure to only cover what made it look like the camps were nice relaxing, fun places. That the truth of the matter wasn’t really shown. That kind of detail is so relevant in today’s world, when we hear about fake news, and you hear that governments or companies, want to control what is reported.
But it wasn’t just the Japanese interment camp parts that this book really brought up. There was also the bit that Evalina had to deal with not only as a female, but also as a minority in the country at that time as well. The fact that inter-racial marriage was so illegal at that time, so much more than really ever occurred to me, a very sheltered girl when I was growing up in the suburbs of the 80s.
Overall this was a great historical fiction for teens, and I look forward to putting it in my school library for my students to read.