CONTRIBUTED BY KELLY
Just wanted to let you guys know about two books that might interest you if you are moving to/ living in Okinawa. One is called Women of Okinawa: Nine Voices from a Garrison Island by Ruth Ann Keyso. This is compilation of interviews with nine Okinawan women from different generations, who tell us about growing up sharing the island with Americans. Although the voice of the editor, Ruth Ann Keyso, was annoying to me, she pretty much keeps her views to the introduction. The rest is the women of Okinawa and they are definitely worth hearing.
The other book I just saw in the Kadena PX. You can also find it in the library. It’s a memoir called The Girl With the White Flag by Tomiko Higa. She writes about her struggle, as a girl of seven, to survive the war in Okinawa. While the writing (or translation?) isn’t stellar, the description of the sheer scope of the tragedy that took place at that time is enlightening to an outsider like me. By the way, it’s a really slim volume often assigned to school children (according to amazon)…in case you are crunched for time.
Got any books dealing with Okinawa that you can recommend?