ChildrenTitle: Sylvia & Aki
Author: Winifred Conkling
Publisher: Random House Publisher 2011
From Goodreads: Sylvia never expected to be at the center of a landmark legal battle; all she wanted was to enroll in school.
Aki never expected to be relocated to a Japanese internment camp in the Arizona desert; all she wanted was to stay on her family farm and finish the school year.
The two girls certainly never expected to know each other, until their lives intersected in Southern California during a time when their country changed forever.
Here is the remarkable story based on true events of Sylvia Mendez and Aki Munemitsu, two ordinary girls living in extraordinary times. When Sylvia and her brothers are not allowed to register at the same school Aki attended and are instead sent to a “Mexican” school, the stage is set for Sylvia’s father to challenge in court the separation of races in California’s schools. Ultimately, Mendez vs. Westminster School District led to the desegregation of California schools and helped build the case that would end school segregation nationally.
Through extensive interviews with Sylvia and Aki—still good friends to this day—Winifred Conkling brings to life two stories of persistent courage in the face of tremendous odds.
What really struck me about this book is its premise. Based on a true story, each chapter switches off telling the story of two girls during WWII. We follow Aki, the daughter of a Japanese American family and her struggles while they are being relocated to the internment camps in Poston, Arizona. Sylvia is the daughter of a Mexican American father who rents Aki's house and find herself in the middle of the historic case of Mendez vs Westminster School District, which inspired later court cases that lead to the desegregation of schools nationally.
While the narrative is simple and more appropriate for those transitioning into chapter books, it is fascinating to read how two American girls cope being questioned by the country they loved based solely on their looks. Their feelings are honest and this quick read will enlighten readers of an important, but not widely known part of history.
