An's Book Club #2: The Samurai's Daughter, Sujata Massey

Grade: A

So nice to be on vacation and have time to read! I picked up this book at the library along with Playing With Boys, and took it to Las Vegas with me. Since it wasn't exactly a literary weekend in Las Vegas, I didn't start reading this until we were on the plane home. And by the time we got to Seattle, I was halfway through the book. And wow, what a book! I was skeptical at first because the description on the back sounded a little dry and my "open up to a random page and read a couple of paragraphs" test didn't really pull me in either. But I am so glad I gave it a chance. I got a little window into some history I never learned, especially the WW2-era stuff. I also realized that this is one of a series of books with the same protagonist, Rei Shimura, and now I'm excited to go and read the others. The ending was a little overdramatic, but still fun to read. I definitely recommend it and I'm planning to check out Massey's other books as well. I also have to give props to an Indian-American writer who is *not* writing about Indian themes or characters. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed many other Indian-American writers, but it's nice to know "we" can write about other things. Just like "we" can be characters other than doctors or 7-11 owners on TV or in the movies. For a good mystery, and some interesting history, check out this book!