By Lindsay Jenkins-Tucker
Looking for a creative and compelling historical fiction read? Look no further than My Nest of Silence, opens a new window, by Matt Faulkner. This tale, set during World War II, follows the story of Mari and her family, Japanese Americans who were forced to sell their home and move to a detention center.
When Mari’s brother decides to enlist in the U.S. Army and fight overseas despite his family’s protests, Mari resolves to stop speaking until her brother returns home safely. Will her silence bring Mak home safely? Will Mak finally be seen as a “real” American now that he is a soldier? And, will their family ever get to go home again?
In this artfully designed book, Mari’s story is written as a traditional novel, while her brother Mak’s story is shown in a graphic novel format. This artful melding of formats strengthens the text to tell a powerful story about anger, passion, forgiveness, and what it looks like to commit to what you believe in.
For more titles about Japanese Americans during World War II, try:
Heroes: A Novel of Pearl Harbor, opens a new window by Alan Gratz
A Place to Belong, opens a new window by Cynthia Kadohata
They Called Us Enemy, opens a new window by George Takei
