Aleutian Sparrow

"Aleutian Sparrow," by Karen Hesse, tells the story of how the Aleut people of Alaska's Aleutian Islands were removed from their homes during World War II and sent to evacuation camps on the Alaskan mainland. The story is told in the first person by Vera, the daughter of an Aleut woman and a white man. The front cover describes this book as a novel. However, the text is presented in the form of a series of short free verse poems which stylistically reminded me somewhat of Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass." Inside the back cover is some information about author Hesse; it is noted, "A school visit to Ketchikan, Alaska, was the genesis for this book." Also mentioned is that she lives in Vermont. In an "Author's Note" Hesse states that the book "is a work of fiction based on true events." The story covers the time period from May 1942 to April 1945. Hesse's poetic language is beautiful; she creates phrases and images that are bold and refreshing. Her narrative is rich in details that illuminate her Aleut characters' lives both on the islands and at the mainland evacuation camps. The poems cover recreation, transportation, work, food, and other aspects of life. Particularly interesting is Hesse's portrait of the Aleut people's pre-evacuation relationship to the land on which they live, the sea that surrounds them, and the plants and animals that share these spaces. The significant themes of the book include relationships among three generations of Aleuts, relations between Aleuts and whites, the tension between Americanization and the preservation of traditional Aleut culture, Aleut folklore, and the struggle of the Aleuts to deal with life in a very alien environment while evacuated to the mainland. "Aleutian Sparrow" is a tragic, ironic, and haunting narrative. It's a valuable addition to the canon of literary works inspired by WW2. For a powerful companion text I recommend "Farewell to Manzanar," by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston, which tells a story about Japanese-American internment during WW2.

I did not set out this morning to read or to review Karen Hesse's ALEUTIAN SPARROW, but one of my wife's faculty colleagues at the university had lent it to her, and, when she told me that the setting focused on the Aleutian Islands and Ketchikan, I knew I had to look at it, too. Once I began, I found myself unable to pause until I had passed the last page, the author's end note, and the dust jacket notes. Fiction this little book may be. A cheechako from the eastern shores of the Lower-48 the author may be. But neither of these facts lessens the emotional impact of ALEUTIAN SPARROW upon the reader. Narrated in the first person by an Aleut girl, each page offers what might have been a brief diary entry, and through her eyes we experience the ineffable sadness, the degradation, the physical suffering, and the emotional distress of a people forced from their homes, uprooted from their lands, severed from their possessions, and transported to rude camps by their own government "for their own protection" during the first three years of World War II. Through the eyes of our young narrator, we see the racial, cultural and economic bigotry, as well as some kindnesses, of the local Alaskan caucasian population against the Aleuts (who had never wanted to be in their backyards in the first place). We view the lack of understanding and, therefore, the lack of compassion, between cultures. We witness the lack of adequate medical care for the displaced villagers, and, helpless, we watch many of them sicken and die, their bodies sometimes to be floated from their graves to become food for bears. We read of the painful irony that German prisoners of war are lodged in clean, modern, comfortable camps while the Aleuts--American citizens all--struggle to survive without clean water, sanitary facilities, or adequate clothing. Beyond the injustices occasioned by the war and exacerbated by a government either incapable or unwilling to care adequately for the evacuees, the reader also glimpses just a few of the painful adjustments that await the minority Aleuts as their culture begins to interact with that of caucasian America. There are marriages between Aleut women and cheechako men, but the husbands are no longer around. There are the decisions by some of the evacuees to remain on the Alaskan mainland and in its towns even though those decisions doom them to second-class citizenship. There is the encroachment of alcoholism upon those whose courage and ability to endure have at last failed, and there is the suggestion that some turn to prostitution in a jobless economy. Is there a good ending to this story? The war, as do all wars, finally ends. The Aleuts are allowed to return to their island chain. Love will blossom among the youth, and people will find the will to begin again. Yet, the war's damage to individuals, to their culture, to their homes and belongings and memories is irremediable. The people will indeed continue, but the continuum has b

aleutian sparrow is a verse novel about a little girl vera dna how she grows up during a tumultous time when her native land aleut is caught in teh crossfire of the devastating war between the americans and the japanese. each chapter is a page long and told in the form of a short unrhymed poem which goes straight to the heart. hesse's sparse language makes it an easy rea for the kids while it makes it a refreshing and sublime change for adults used to weighty philosophising of grave issues. the aleutian sparrow has many wonderfully drawn out characters who will tug at the heart-strings of the reader, this is a wonderful tale that one will go back to many times over. nd kids of all backgrounds will enjoy the stark beauty and wonderful pictures it paints.

It is June of 1942, and America has joined in the war in the Pacific. Displacement for Vera and her community comes from the Japanese who have relocated all the Aleuts to camps on different islands. Though the Aleuts are told that they are being moved for their own protection, it is clear to Vera that they are treated much worse than the prisoners of war. For the next three years, Vera and the others carve out as much of a happy life as they can for each other, while trying to maintain a sense of heritage and culture. They are forced to deal with poor health, death, malnourishment, and horrific sanitary conditions. At one point, a doctor visits the camp only to tell the Aleuts that the breakout of horrific boils is simply their bodies trying to "adjust" to a new life. What keeps Vera and her friends strong is their belief in the power of nature and their hopes that someday they can reclaim their homes. For Vera, there is also the promise of new love.What stands out first about this novel is the incredible, sensitive use of combined poetry and prose. The phrases and lines flow from one to another, without distraction from unnecessary words. The reader is forced to make sense of fewer words, but this exercise in language results in a clean, powerful story. When has another author been so adept at the use of figurative language? Hesse writes of "crayon days, / big and happy" and of "the gray cheeks of the sky." The imagery is clear and fresh, and the story moves forward covering three years of important events in just 156 pages. Vera appears to be more of a representation of the entire Aleutian culture than an individual character, though her personal relationships with her mother and with Alfred make her memorable.

It is difficult to convey the entirety of the experience of the Aleutians after the Japanese bombing - their confusion and dismay at being taken away from their homes and villages, the nearly total lack of compassion their "rescuers" demonstrated toward their homes, their lives, and their people. In this heartbreaking account of the relocation of the Aleutians for 3 years during World War II, Karen Hesse beautifully and movingly conveys the feelings of one young girl who grows up in this time. This is one case where free verse seems to be the best medium to convey the story. Free verse appeals to images and emotions and not just plot. In truth, this book is not plot driven; you don't read it to find out what happens next. You read it because it tells you how it felt, what it looked like, how it changed the people. It joins a long line of books, some of which deal in a parallel manner with the relocation of people of Japanese ancestry from the west coast during the war, some of which deal with other events, such as the bringing of diseases and religious, linguistic, and cultural changes by early missionaries to these and other peoples. All of these make you wonder, "Why?" How could we have been so cruel, so lacking in understanding? What are we doing even now that, in future years, we will again look upon with sadness and horror at people's inhumanity toward other people?As a teacher, I feel books like this make excellent complements to classroom textbooks. Books like this make history come alive and feel real. And they provide some balance. It is not only Hitler who did unspeakable things; there are other examples, from both "sides" - throughout history.And a brief compliment to the illustrator and cover designers. It is a beautiful book as well.