Jackie Ishida, a young Japanese American woman living in Los Angeles, learns of the deaths of four young men in her grandfather's store during the 1965 Watts riot, and sets out to discover the truth about their deaths, along the way uncovering some long-buried family secrets as well.
Hello Fellow book lovers! It is that time of year when mystery, sun, excitement, and engaging characters come together in one super place-the author's imagination and your participation. Let us know what you think about Southland.
ReplyDeleteFrom Booklist--a synopsis of Southland
ReplyDeleteSpanning three generations, Revoyr's follow-up to The Necessary Hunger (1997) uses the murder of three boys during the 1965 Watts riot as the pivot point for a moving, sometimes harrowing exploration of race relations among black, Japanese, and white residents of L.A. When her grandfather dies in 1994, young Japanese American lawyer Jackie Ishida seeks to discover why her grandfather, Frank, had once planned to leave his Crenshaw grocery store to one of the murder victims, a black teen from the neighborhood. After enlisting the help of one of the young man's relatives, rock-solid community group worker James Lanier, Jackie embarks on a journey that will enable her to understand why she has fled so far from her Japanese roots she won't even consider dating a fellow Asian. Switching effortlessly from the mid-1990s to the 1960s, the 1940s, and back again, Revoyr peoples the landscape with compelling characters who are equally believable whether they're black, Japanese, male, female, gay, or straight. With prose that is beautiful, precise, but never pretentious, she brings to vivid life a painful, seldom-explored part of L.A.'s past that should not be forgotten. If Oprah still had her book club, this novel likely would be at the top of her selection list. Frank Sennett
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Book discussion on Tuesday, July 7, 2009.
ReplyDeleteEven though this BD is not until next month I wanted to post some background info and questions for you to be thinking about...
ReplyDeleteSynopsis of Characters
Jackie Ishida: Frank's granddaughter who is a law student
Frank Sakai, store owner
James Lanier, cousin of one of the boys who was murdered and new friend/confidant/co-detective with Jackie
Curtis Martindale, one of the murder victims
Alma, Curtis's mom
The Holiday Bowl: founded by Japanese Americans in 1958. This gathering place was part of the healing process, both internal and external, of the Nikkei community after the WWW 2 internment. Really a labour of love since community members sold shares to its community members to finance construction. A long time architectural representation of racial integration in LA, 2003 was the last year for this landmark.
1. The author hs referred to the Holiday Bowl Coffee Shop as the birthplace of "Southland." What do you think she means by that? Agree? Can a place inspire stories?
2. Segregation/Prejudice are two of the themes in Southland. Did you know that southern California beaches were once segregated?
3. Do you feel differently about LA after reading Southland?
4. Were you surprised by the truth about the murders of the four boys? What does the identity of the murderer indicate about the nature of racism?