Plantation Child and Other Stories

Marita Kim is eight when her mother dies. As the eldest she is in charge of her four half brothers and sisters. The father works long and hard days at the plantation and has little patience with his children when he comes home. Through the eyes of each child we learn about different aspects of growing up in a Korean camp in Hawai'i decades ago. While financially not much is possible, thrift and hard work make ends meet. The stories are entertaining with the children's adventures and Marita's coming of age. There is something in this collection of stories for every age group. In the last chapter the long-widowed father (who now lives with his married daughter Marita) reminisces about his life; his coming to Hawai'i, the loss of his wife in childbirth, having to give up their last baby and finally the reunion with this son. While each story can be read as a separate entity, the whole adds up and comes around like a chapter book. The scratch board illustrations are delightful and imaginative.

This book has been passed around our family and from friend to friend. It's a beautiful story that inspires readers to examine their own relationships with their parents and to reconsider what they know of their parents' lives.