Of White Ashes: A Novel

by Constance Hays Matsumoto, Kent Matsumoto

The bombing of Pearl Harbor propels America into WWII and two Japanese Americans into chaos. Separated by the Pacific, each embarks on a tumultuous path to survive childhood and live the American dream. Ruby Ishimaru loses her liberty and uproots from her Hawaii home to incarceration camps on the mainland. Koji Matsuo strains under the menacing clouds of the Japanese war machine and atomic bombing while concealing a dangerous secret-one that threatens his family's safety.
When destiny brings Ruby and Koji together in California, their chemistry is magnetic, but wounds of trauma run deep and threaten their love as another casualty of war.
Inspired by the true stories of the authors' family, Of White Ashes crosses oceans and cultures, illuminating the remarkable lives of ordinary people who endure seemingly unbearable hardship with dignity and patience. Their experiences compel us to reflect on the resilience of humanity and the risk of history repeating.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Adult

369 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

Inspired by Shakespeare’s “What’s past is prologue,” Connie writes stories and poetry intended to influence positive change in our world.

Connie earned her B.A. from Notre Dame of Maryland University and M.S. in Business from Johns Hopkins University. She is a member of the Authors Guild, Eastern Shore Writers' Association, Historical Novel Society, and Women's National Book Association, and served on the Board of Directors of the Maryland Writers' Association as Communications Chair and as President of the Baltimore Chapter and as an Advisory Council Member and Chair of the Working Group on Nuclear Issues for the International Center for MultiGenerational Legacies of Trauma.

Reviews

[Angela M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knowing an author’s inspiration for a story is always meaningful to me and even more so when it is inspired by a true story especially one related to the author’s family. I have read only a few books on Japanese internment camps and not much at all about the Japanese perspective of Hiroshima. Consequently, this was a learning experience, but more than that, it was a touching story.

Two people’s lives cross in California. Both American born Japanese, both having experienced loss, and trauma . Ruby growing up in Hawaii with the abuse of a vile stepmother and a father who closed his eyes to it. Koji growing up in Hiroshima and escaping its aftermath. Their stories before they met were heartbreaking, but it’s a lovely story of fate, of strength and resilience moving forward in spite of a past of hardship. Recommended.


I received a copy of this book from Apprentice House Press through NetGalley.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the published for this advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. This review will appear immediately on Goodreads.
So much to unpack here. I am a heavy historical fiction reader but have been feeling like a departure because of all of the WWII historical fiction out there. I get it, the stories must be told before the last fades away! Much if not most of it is set in Europe however, so I welcome alternate experiences.
Based in a lot of fact and research, the reader is guided from Hawaii just before the Pearl Harbor attack to internment camps in America through the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and repatriation of Japanese Americans into a tired and wary society. So much to unpack!
How do families hear after such trauma and tragedy? How does one move on?
A personal note, I lived in Japan for 4 years. When we arrived, we learned a lot about post WWII Japan and how the Americans arrived (and stayed) and treated the Japanese with respect and more care than expected. We were taught about Hiroshima and toured many areas where the effects of WWII are still felt. I also lived in Hawaii for 4 years, experiencing the multi cultural islands and how they get along, and how Pearl Harbor’s echos remain today. I speak enough Japanese to understand most of the words said in this book, the foods they ate, and the rituals they have.My father fought in WWII in the pacific theater, in some of the battles mentioned in this book.
While I am not Japanese, this book was just so real to me. We never learn enough about the internment camps in the US, nor about the tragedy of Hiroshima. We just do not, I could not have appreciated Rubys school debate more. Brilliant.
I loved this book. I gobbled it in two sittings. I want to share this book with everyone. It’s not an easy read but necessary. I will suggest it for my book club and to my patrons.
5*

[Dive Into A Good Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always shocked by my lack of knowledge on the Japanese involvement in World War II. How Japanese and Japanese Americans were treated in the US at this time. It is incredibly disheartening to read about how we rounded up American citizens, other Japanese residents, and forced them into camps for years. It is a time of our history that needs to be studied and read about, and not buried in the past. Of White Ashes is an eye-opening read that was vigorously researched. The main characters draw you in and do not let you go. The settings are quickly brought to life, with rich details and descriptions. The smell the blossoming jasmine fills your nostrils, the mouthwatering details of the food, and the intense terror that they felt, brought tears to my eyes.

Ruby is a main character I will not forget soon. She is strong, intelligent, beautiful, and cannot let the past lie. She was brought up on the gorgeous island of Kauai. Her family is incredibly close and loving. All that changes in a blink of an eye, when her mother dies during childbirth with her baby sister. Their fathers deep sadness holds a spell over the house, until he leaves for Japan to look for a new wife. Koji lives on the outskirts of Hiroshima, with a family who is just as close as Ruby's. When Pearl Harbor is bombed, and Japan goes to war with the United States. All bets are off on how the Japanese will be treated and how far Japan's government will go to win this war. The book takes you through their lives from 1939 to 1958. Each of their experiences will mark your soul. The way in which their lives will spool together is astonishing.

This is an incredibly beautiful book. I was smitten by the attention to detail and the descriptions transported me to the Hawaiian Islands and Japan. Tears welled in my eyes the day the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. The unimaginable terror these people must have felt, shatters my heart. While Ruby and her family are locked behind fences for years, until they are finally allowed out to try to selvage their lives. Thank you to Constance Hays Matsumoto, Kent Matsumoto, Apprentice House Press, and PR By the Book for my gifted copy.

[Amy Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

In "Of White Ashes," Constance Hays Matsuomoto and Kent Matsumoto tell the tales of two individuals and how their lives intertwine during one of the most horrific times in history: World War II. Based on the true stories of Mr. Matsumoto's parents, this utterly captivating novel represents historical fiction at its finest, and most heartbreaking.

The novel begins with dual perspectives. The first concerns Ruby Ishimaru, a tenacious young woman whose world turns upside down in the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor invasion. The second centers on Koji Matsuo, an ambitious young man making ends meet in war-time Hiroshima.

Ruby's idyllic childhood is shattered by the death of her mother and her father's subsequent remarriage. Subjected to physical and emotional abuse by her stepmother, she increasingly draws inward in an effort to protect herself. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1947, the American government arrests her father, a Buddhist minister, as people come to fear anyone of Japanese descent, citizen or not. Her family is herded between various Japanese internment camps until the end of the war. This wreaks physical, emotional, and psychological havoc on Ruby, and she struggles to overcome her troubles as an adult.

Koji lives with his family in Hiroshima, a vibrant and bustling city in pre-war Japan. As tensions flare between Japan and the United States, his family, secretly anti-imperial, must sacrifice their well-being and livelihoods in service to the Japanese state. This includes food rationing, giving up any metal valuables to make firearms, and subjection to pro-Emperor propaganda. Koji and his family live their lives…until the horrific bombing on August 6, 1945. Afterwards, Koji, who has a secret of his own, must contend with issues of identity and familial loyalty in order to find success.

The story's second half intertwines Ruby's and Koji's experiences. They meet and fall in love. Their relationship, however, does not come easily as the horrors they endured haunt them. It will take love, patience, resilience, acceptance, recognition, and forgiveness for the pair to find their happiness.

What an utterly breathtaking book! The dual perspectives reflect the primality of war, where fear grips everything in its steely jaws, threatening to mercilessly crush its prey. Ruby and Koji represent two sides of the Japanese experience during World War II, leading readers to reflect on the complexities of war and the dangers of blind prejudice as well as recognize that we all, consciously or unconsciously, harbor biases.

Additionally, the authors have drawn some of the most compelling and memorable characters I've ever read. Ruby is fierce, sometimes intransigent, but ever resilient; Koji remains eternally optimistic, even in the direst of circumstances. This juxtaposition offers plenty of conflict but also makes the resolution of their love all the more bittersweet and joyous.

"Of White Ashes" celebrates the human spirit and its incredible ability to endure, even in the worst of situations. It also cautions us to reflect on our own biases and prejudices to ensure that unlawful incarceration based on race never happens again. All in all, I highly anticipate this being one of my favorite books of the year.

Thank you to the authors, the publisher, and PR by the Book for a copy of this book!

[Kati Berman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read many WWII novels. Most of them were about the war in Europe and the Holocaust. This book was different as it depicted Japan and the West Coast of the United States and how Pearl Harbor and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki affected the two main protagonists in the novel. Ruby was born in the United States to Japanese parents and grew up in Hawaii. Koji was also an American citizen by birth but lived his whole childhood in Hiroshima.
After Pearl Harbor, Ruby’s father was arrested and jailed as an enemy alien in spite of being a leader in a Japanese temple and not having any political connections or activities. The rest of the family was interned in camps set up for Americans of Japanese descent and not freed until after the war ended. Koji’s farming family had a simple life in Japan until the devastating bombing of their home city Hiroshima. Koji had to keep his American origin in secret. After the bombing, Koji moves to the US and eventually Ruby’s and Koji’s paths cross. Can these two people forgive the trauma they have suffered during the war and give in to the attraction to each other? Or are the wounds so deep that they cannot be overcome? You will have to read the novel to find out. The synopsis of the novel mentions that the book was inspired by real events in the authors’ families.
I liked the book, but do have a few negative comments. Although there is a Japanese glossary at the end of the book, it interrupts the reader to constantly look up the meanings of words. The book would have had the same powerful affect if those Japanese words would have been in English. I found the second half of the book dragging and too long. Overall, this novel deserves four stars.
I received a complimentary copy of this book . Opinions are entirely my own.

[Hikari · Rating 3 out of 5]

A parallel narrative story detailing Ruby, the Hawaii Japanese interned in American camps and Koji growing up in Hiroshima. Both suffer dreadfully during the Second World War in different ways: Koji loses his education, Ruby her freedom. Around 2/3 of the book, these two storylines converge as both their lives end up in post-war America.

Structurally, these parallel storylines should converge at the halfway point given that this novel is telling three stories (Ruby’s Koji’s, their joint lives). As they don’t, it leaves the final third feeling rushed and underdeveloped. It also means that the romance is quite rushed - they’re fighting for most of it then suddenly they’re marrying. There’s lots on the pre-war and during-war racism in America but the post war racism seems non-existent which doesn’t ring true.

Both of them have lots of scars from the war, especially mental, but they seem to get over them very quickly. Ruby’s trauma of the loss of her mother, her horrific stepmother, her weak absent father and the internment seems to disappear too quickly - if there’s scope for editing, this is one area to expand/develop.

An interesting read highlighting the plight of both Japanese Americans as well as your average Japanese citizen during the Second World War - with some structural changes, I’d rate this even higher.

[Mits · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up. This book really impressed me with its scope (fictionalizing both the authors' mother(in-law)'s experiences in the Japanese incarceration camps and their father(in-law)'s experiences in Hiroshima), and worked hard to dive into nuanced details of their thoughts and experiences. I especially appreciated the difference in outlook of the two main characters - however I was a bit disappointed in their resolution, as I felt like Koji's perspective was given more value and Ruby ended up being the one apologizing. I was much less interested in the love story between the two, and found their separate narratives to be much more compelling than when they intersected. Nevertheless, I think this book did a good job of never becoming too sentimental (although sometimes it got close), and I greatly admire the authors' hard work in documenting their parents' perspectives and experiences. It is clear the story is based on true events, as the specificity of the character's circumstances is apparent and very interesting.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of White Ashes is a historical fiction novel that highlights an important part of American history often overlooked in any stories about WWII. I am an avid historical fiction reader, especially those books set in WWII. I enjoyed the perspectives offered in this book from both sides, a Japanese American raised in America, and a Japanese American raised in Japan. Both experienced much pain and unimaginable events in their young lives that shaped who they became as young adults. The character development and incredible details - tastes, smells, sights and feelings - throughout the book brought the story to life and transported me as the reader. This is a well-researched book that humanizes the experiences of “others” during what was considered one of America’s most proud periods in its history.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

You might know the story of Fred Korematsu and you might have read all the WW2-era books set in Europe, but you must get to know Ruby Ishimaru and Koji Matsuo and their families. I savored this book, learning the human faces of the crowded, inhospitable camps scattered across the United States. Holding people who had dreams, loves, full lives beforehand, and loyalty to the US.
Ruby and Koji experience things in the camps and in Hiroshima, respectively, that no young person should ever have to experience. Yet they keep living, moving forward, toward each other and ultimately the American dream. The Matsumotos took a personal family story and turned it into a fictionalized account that is well-written and heart wrenching.

[Lisa Ard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book for the view of life in Japan during WWII and the experiences of the Japanese Americans living in internment camps. I liked that the author chose two perspectives, alternating them, until their stories merged. Starting before the war and focusing on the childhoods and young adult periods of Ruby’s and Koji’s lives showed how their early life experiences molded them, and ultimately how their lives—upended by war, death, separation—led to forgiveness and love.

[Bev Stegmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a great book! This book come to life as you travel through the experiences of Ruby and Koji and each of their families. This was a very difficult time in history that is described in detail and give understanding to what the Japanese people endured during this time. Very good read. I was given an advanced copy of this book by NetGalley and I am freely leaving my review.

[Aline Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written story that must be read. So many people do not know the full story o the boning of pearl harbor to the extent that this story is told. A light must be shown on this horrible subject including how the Japanese Americans suffers as well as thousands and thousands of other people. The horrors of the booming of Hiroshima!

[Janilyn Kocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the two authors’ family history, this is a compelling read. It follows both main characters as they navigate a world that made them an enemy because of their ancestry.
Ruby was very slow in releasing her grudges, of which there were many. However she finally realized it was hurting her the most.
It’s good historical fiction and allows readers an intimate view of the experiences for those with Japanese ancestry within the US during WWII and beyond.
Thanks to Apprentice House and NetGalley for the early read.

[Nanako Water · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the few novels based on the painful Japanese American experiences of WWII. Constance Hays Matsumoto brings to life characters based on her Japanese-American parents-in-law.

[Linda Rosen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engrossing, emotional story showing a side of WWII not usually seen in novels. The Matsumotos descriptions set me deep into each scene as if I, too, was experiencing the prejudices, injustices and devastation their well-drawn characters experienced.

[Michael P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Constance and Kent have written an insightful story about the experience of Japanese Americans during WWII. The weaving of a love story with history is so well done and it draws the reader into the story and inspires you to turn page after page. Ultimately, it is about the human story to survive, grow and find love amidst the circumstances life brings to us. Artfully done, many lessons from the past but lessons we can use for the future.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love historical fiction, this is a 'must read'! It was inspired by the authors' family who lived through the bombing of Pear Harbor and the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. Reading about the impact these events had on both the American and Japanese people was both eye-opening and heart-wrenching. It's amazing what the human spirit can endure!  I learned a lot about Japanese customs and culture. I was saddened by the prejudices the Japanese people endured - even those who were born in America who were deemed 'guilty by association'. 


Throughout the book, the reader follows the incredible journey and experiences of two individuals (Koji and Ruby) and their families - one from Japan and the other from America. While reading this, I kept wondering how their paths would cross, which we find out towards the end.  This adventure is about loyalty, hardship, loss, and love. It's both heartbreaking and endearing. The authors describe feelings and experiences in a way that painted visual pictures in my mind. I found it interesting how Japanese words and phrases were included throughout the book (identified in a glossary at the end). It's an incredible story! Well written and obviously extensively researched. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down! I highly recommend reading this book.

[Trina Peters]

Loved this book. Gives a different perspective to the Hiroshima bombing, both before and after. Characters are well-developed and interesting. Can't wait to see the mini-series on Netflix.

[Jean Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful and moving story about a difficult time in US history when our government thought Japanese internment camps was a solution. Inspired by true situations, it is important that this story (and others like it) is told again and again.

[Jocelyn Cane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book quickly captured my attention and now has a permanent hold on my heart. I have recommended this book to friends and colleagues alike as there are so many connections to be made by the reader to this story. Thank you to Constance and Kent for truly putting their hearts, time, and love of creative storytelling into a book that will impact generations.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful and heartbreaking story of WWI from the side of the Japanese. In one case, Ruby and her family reside in Hawaii when ,shortly after the outbreak of the war, Ruby, her father, sister and step-mother are separated and relocated to internment camps as far from their Hawaiian home as they can imagine. The loss, the hardships endured and the frightening speculation about what may happen to them is well rendered and moving. Then there is Koji, living in Hiroshima, Japan. He survives the bombing of Hiroshima but it has taken such a toll on his young mind ( both characters are in their pre or early teens as the story unfolds). It is a frightful juxtaposition of the horrors of war and the cruel ways in which it twisted and destroyed lives beyond those who were combatants. This story was taken from real life accounts and stretches across time and geography. I had not read much about America's internment of Japanese during WWII and this book presents the challenges facing humanity on both sides of the Pacific. Well structured, well written and draws you in. Recommended

[Leanna Mattea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found my favorite novel of the year, in this tragic but beautiful story of two families, each experiencing WWII in different countries and in different ways, who meet and are able to blend their experiences and suffering into rich and satisfying lives.
While I was in college, one of our projects was writing a paper, reflecting an injustice in our history that affected the student.
I wrote about the similarities between the Germans persecution and elimination of Jews during WWII and the US internment of the Japanese. I had some knowledge of the Japanese people, recalling my father’s stories growing up in Hilo Hawaii and the Japanese community. He spoke a fair Japanese language and used to take us to the beautiful Japanese nursery near our home in S.F., as he looked for plants for his gardening business. He also shared with us, his affection for the Japanese neighbors of his childhood. Likewise I remember that same nursery standing empty, when it’s employees were removed and interned at some remote camp, and was puzzled that they were now the enemy.
Years later, when my daughter dated a fellow student of Japanese descent, his parents shared their story of internment. And this novel, brought those memories back.
The characters that the Matsumoto’s brought to this story were wonderful, sharing the rich culture of their people as well as their suffering. The descriptions of the bombing are horrific, and just brought forward, the strength it took to get beyond the experience and images that had to be ingrained in their memories. The research to do this is amazing.
My thanks to Apprentice Class Press, NetGalley and the author for the ARC. All opinions are my own. This is certainly five star worthy and a novel that should be included in every history class.

[cynthia davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent and thought provoking

This book was well written and held my interest throughout. People are people throughout the world; we all want the same things from life.

[Moriah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful and heartbreaking story that examined the depth of the experience of Japanese people and Japanese Americans during World War II. The story flips between Koji, growing up in the darkening presence of the reaches of war in Hiroshima and how it changes the course of his life even before the fateful moment they cannot predict, and Ruby who begins the arch with the loss of her mother and it incredible avalanche of loss that follows through the years.

The book seems to be framed as a romance story, though I felt the romance was background to the narrative of life at the time. It may be the retelling of a true story of how two people found love and healing after everything they had endured; and if it was based on actual biographies, these two are silent heroes that exemplify the best of the strength and endurance that humanity has to offer. If it is not based on real people directly than it can likely be found paralleled in any survivors of the time.

The story holds so much strength and resilience of the people involved. It is one thing to hear about the events, the facts and stories of people of the time in some history textbook or 30-minute dramatized television special. It is another thing entirely to be immersed in their world as you see their hope, their priority, their view of the path of their life shift due to war. To see how Japan changed its focus on every street and in every heart to support their country. How many dreams were covered or adapted because of the events of the times. It is another thing to hear, as a citizen of the United States, the exact policies and procedures that were enacted to Japanese Americans of the time that the government put in place to its own citizens from their own telling. To hear the degree of loss that happened in layers to each individual and the collective grief and trauma that was held in their very bones for years.

And as half of the story takes place in Hiroshima, the reader knows what is coming, and you watch as the date gets closer and closer to the horrific events of August 6th, 1945. It is one thing to know of the unimaginable events of the bomb dropping, even seeing videos of the explosion itself. It was another almost other wordly experience to read each page, each moment, each emotion that occurred to the city and the people as the worst creation humanity has ever made was unleashed. To try to fathom the reality of it while the characters themselves cannot believe it to be real. The days and weeks of trying to piece together a life when everything you ever knew was in broken shambles. It was one of the hardest moments I've ever read in my life, and it felt absolutely necessary to witness it to honor those people.

The strength of the story lies in how it allows different emotions, different experiences, and different impacts of one's journey to show how it impacts your life and world view. By the time the two characters meet it almost seems strange to hear stories of the pearls they wear for the date, what movie is playing at the cinema, and buying furniture for an apartment. And yet it helps you realize how trivial these moments can be - and yet how precious they are when you are able to plant the seed of hope for beauty and joy once again.

A very powerful and poignant read, and you will absolutely come out different on the other side.

[Shirley Kamada · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this expansive novel, which begins in Waimea, Hawaii, in 1939, we meet fourth grader, Ruby Ishimaru, on the day of her mother’s death. Her father, lacking an adult female in the household, feels overwhelmed and travels to Japan, returning with a new wife.

After the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, Ruby’s father is jailed by the FBI. Ruby, her sister and stepmother, their bank account frozen and without income, must be interned at Rohwer Relocation Center if they are to survive. Her father’s sympathies having turned against the United States, Ruby is haunted by the threat of deportation to Japan, a country she has never so much as visited.

Meanwhile, in Japan, a young Koji Matsuo learns that he is an American citizen. He must tell no one. If this becomes known, it will put the family in danger. The Matsuo family operate a farm. Koji isn’t sure he wants to continue as the next generation farmer. He is determined to achieve an advanced education, as did his father. Living in militarized Japan, Koji’s father expresses love for his country, but believes patriotism is being twisted to serve those in power.

Hiroshima is ravaged by an atomic bomb loosed by the United States military in 1945. Koji’s father is very ill, but the family has escaped the worst of the blast and takes on sheltering their neighbors and treating wounds. Entrusted with great responsibility, Koji travels throughout the decimated city, doing his part.

In these post-atomic bomb chapters, OF WHITE ASHES becomes painful to read. This is why I believe the book should be in the hands of everyone mature enough to understand what happened in Hiroshima and what has reverberated through all generations since. These scenes are, to my experience, unequalled in conveying the horror and excruciating pain, the remorse and most awful truth: That one monstrous moment cannot be undone.

OF WHITE ASHES communicates the unprecedented disaster wreaked on Hiroshima by an atomic bomb as does no other book I have seen. As a reader, I was—I am—rocked. Moved from my head to my heart to the tingling in my fingertips as I held the book. In addition to the accuracy of research, the remarkable detail, and the intricate plot, this book must be read because it so clearly illustrates there is no such thing as a good war. Lives are shattered. Death is indiscriminate. Honorable purposes are subverted. The book’s message is that humankind must find a way to rise above violent enmity of country against country.

I am grateful to Constance Hays Matsumoto and Kent Matsumoto for this carefully crafted story which has stayed with me long after turning the final page.

I received an ARC and am pleased to provide an honest review.

[Elizabeth Higginbotham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of White Ashes by Constance Hays Matsumoto and Kent Matsumoto is a novel that reflects much research about the Japanese experiences in the days before the war both in Hawaii and Japan. We focus on two children a girl, Ruby raised in Hawaii with her sister, but after their mother dies in childbirth her father goes to Japan to find a new wife. A minister at a Buddhist temple, their life in a small community near a plantation come to an end with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Koji Matsuo grows up in Japan with her parents and younger brother, but he was born in the U.S. when his parents were working in this country. Yet, as a youth he is caught up in the militarization of everyone in Japan. His US citizenship is secret, but in the end, it will help him.

In the tradition of Japan, family is everything. But Koji’s father has an illness, so the boys work hard and go to school while their father recuperates. Their mother is sweet and supportive. Yet, war changes Koji choices, as education after the bombing is limited—also the horrors he saw after the bomb will haunt him. He eventually come to the US and finishes high school, serves in the Navy and goes to college on the G.I. Bill.

Ruby’s life with a hostile stepmother is not good. Her father is arrested as an alien and potential threat to the US, and left alone they make do with the help of the community. Eventually her father is shipped to an internment camp in the US and the rest of the family transported across the Pacific to San Francisco and then a train to Jerome, the camp in Arkansas. As a teenager raised with American values, this treatment is harsh. She does make one friend in Jerome, Velvet whose family can resettle. Her sister meets a young man, they marry, and he serves in the military. She remains part of his family and works as a dressmaker in the east. Her father disowns the older daughter and has a goal of returning to Japan with his wife and young daughter. Ruby does not want to go to Japan, but has to sign papers that will send her there. Much happens as their lives are fragile in the face of national issues.

There is all level of trauma as well as family drama in this novel with the reality of the war in the background. Readers can appreciate how the war challenged everyone—their values, beliefs and hopes for a future. Especially as young people who are coming into adulthood in this era. The authors do an excellent job in illuminating their paths, as family commitments, national loyalty, and the struggle for a full and meaningful life are in front of them. Wonderful development of complex characters, who are often unsure of themselves.

[Marcia Crabtree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received the recently published novel Of White Ashes as a digital advanced readers copy. It eloquently fictionalizes the true story of the authors’ family as they suffered through the Second World War and its aftermath. The tale is based upon the experiences of author Kent Matsumoto’s parents as an American born Japanese boy living in Japan and an American born Japanese girl growing up in Hawaii when the war breaks out and follows them through the hardships of the war and its devastating ending precipitated by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Finally, the book describes how each parent coped with the tragedy of the war while living as American citizens in the United States after the war’s end.

The book is beautifully written both by Kent Matsumoto and his wife Constance Hays Matsumoto. The language of the novel is elegant in its descriptions of the beauty of Hiroshima and Maui before the war and brutal in its depictions of the horror of Kent’s mother’s family torn apart and taken from their idyllic home and locked up for many years in brutal internment camps as enemies of the US and the un- fathomable destruction, pain and suffering, and death witnessed by Kent’s father to his home and family and friends after the bomb exploded in Hiroshima. Although it’s obvious that Kent’s parents eventually meet and fall in love, their relationship and courtship takes many years and twists and turns to develop.

The trajectory of each of their lives, told in alternating sections written from each of their viewpoints, makes for an extremely compelling read, and I had a hard time putting the book down. Although I have read other books about the Japanese internment camps and descriptions of the bombings, none made the experiences as real and as gripping and captivating as Of White Ashes. Kudos to the authors for making the novel so engrossing. I recommend it highly.

[Chelsie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a different WWII read and it was quite eye opening. Told through the view point of two different characters, we follow along with Ruby in Hawaii and Koji in Hiroshima. Ruby is an American and living in Hawaii with her family when Pearl Harbor is bombed. Her family is now looked at as the enemy and are sent off to incarceration camps all over the US while the war rages on and her father tries to find a way to get them back to Japan after what this country has done to them. Koji and his family fear for their lives everyday with the war raging and knowing that a retaliation attack has to be coming at some point. When his parents share with him a shocking secret about who he is, it really gives him something new to think about for his future. When the atomic bomb is dropped and miraculously Koji survives but is now seeing the horror of this destruction first hand. Doing what he can to help his family and others, he continues to ponder this secret and finally comes to an answer when Japan surrenders. I learned a lot from this story and at times it was quite shocking but very eye opening and interesting to read from both of their view points. Thank you to LibraryThing and to the authors for the free novel from a giveaway. This review is of my own opinion and accord.

[Carol Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kent Matsumoto is a third generation Japanese-American. Koji lived with his parents and younger brother in Hiroshimo, at the time an atomic bomb was dropped on the city. Koji had been born in America, but only his parents and, after he was 12, he knew that. That wouldn't have gone over well at that time in Japan, whose emperor Hirohito was pursuing the expansionist policy that led to American involvement in WWII. His family survived the bombing, but his father, who had been ill, died weeks later. Koji wanted to go to America. Ruby lived in Hawaii with her father, mean step-mother, and older sister. After Pearl Harbor, her father was arrested on suspicion of being a spy. He wasn't and there was no evidence. The remaining family was rounded up and imprisoned at a Japanese Internment Camp. Ruby was the only one in the family who was an American citizen. Through 80% of the book, these main characters are high school age, and this seems like a YA novel. Their personal story is mildly ineresting. The thing that drew me to this book was to see how it was living through an atomic bomb and that time in the internment camps, and the book delivered on that.

[Sally Mander · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars, Hopelessness

Yet another sad, disheartening way that WW2 has affected another group of people. This time, the Japanese Americans, specifically one family living in Hawaii, minding their own business. Ruby's father is taken away to a prison camp on the mainland, and then the rest of the family is sent away from everything they knew and loved.

Koji is a Japanese American living in Hiroshima with his family. He is unwillingly forced to manufacture arms for the Japanese war machine. He has to be quite secretive about the land of his birth.

Ruby and Koji meet years later in California, but they have differing opinions on what really went on during the war years.

I like that the book is based on the authors' true family events. I highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy of #OfWhiteAshes from #LoyolaCollege #ApprenticeHouse I was under no obligation to post a review. #PearlHarbor #JapaneseInternmentCamps #Arkansas #Hawaii #California #Japan #AtomicBombs #ConstanceHaysMatsumoto #KentMatsumoto