53 pages • 1 hour read

Kira-Kira

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2004

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-9

Chapters 10-16

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Background

Historical Context: Japanese Americans in the US Following World War II

The Takeshima family represents a rarity in the US. The young family attempts to set down roots, find financial security, and achieve homeownership at a particularly difficult, transitional time: There are fewer than 200,000 people of Japanese ancestry on the US mainland in 1956, when the narrative begins. Father and Mother, Japanese Americans immigrants with American citizenship, met in rural Iowa, where there was apparently a small immigrant community. The couple keeps strong connections to their heritage, speaking Japanese even though English becomes their primary language in the home. Father reminisces about his unfinished education in Japan, while Mother wishes she could send her daughters to Japan for lessons in the proper behavior of women.

Though Kadohata makes no direct mention of it, Japanese Americans only left wartime internment—the US forced Americans of Japanese origin into camps during WWII out of racist fear that they would betray the country—around 10 years before the novel begins. Although Mother and Father would have been in their late teens or early 20s during the 1942-46 internment, the narrative’s only mention of WWII is Katie’s reference to Uncle being a hero who saved another soldier’s life. Japanese American soldiers fought in the European theater, generally with great distinction.

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Many white Americans harbored resentment against Japan during WWII for the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Bataan Death March, and war atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army. The presence of Japanese Americans like Father, Mother, and their children, allowed prejudiced Americans the opportunity to express resentment and to act hostilely toward Americans of Japanese descent. Even Amber, who feels drawn to the beauty and wit of Lynn, eventually succumbs to the prevailing prejudice and ends up calling Lynn’s sister “a heathen.”

Landing jobs in poultry production is more a feature of the burgeoning industry’s needs—in some years, chicken producers saw a 400% worker turnover—than a willing welcome of Japanese workers. Reluctant as they might have been to hire Japanese, the producers typically found these workers to be exceptionally industrious, punctual, and respectful. Still, the Takeshimas find distrust, disrespect, and very limited opportunity in the nation of which they are citizens.

Historical Context: Mid-20th Century Laborers in Rural Georgia

In his memoir, An Hour Before Daylight, former President Jimmy Carter asserts that the rural economy of Georgia in the middle of the 20th century was little different from that in the years following Civil War Reconstruction. Working-class citizens were poor and possessed little opportunity for advancement. Segregation prevailed as well, which added more obstacles for individuals of color. As they make their journey south from Midwestern Iowa to Georgia, Katie’s family enters eating establishments with signs separating white and non-white people. Not knowing which they would be seen as, the Takeshimas take their food to go.

Readers may assume that the fictional Chesterfield is in northern Georgia, which was the prime location for poultry factories in the 50s. The Takeshimas find community and fellowship with two dozen Japanese Americans already living in Chesterfield, most employed in poultry production. Several forces play upon this immigrant community. For instance, they eat traditional Japanese foods, though other cuisines make inroads: It thrills Sammy to taste white bread for the first time, while Katie enjoys tacos. While the community keeps up Japanese traditions, like gathering on New Year’s Day to watch the sunrise, the extreme requirements of their factory jobs inhibit their ability to do anything in their free time but rest.

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The backdrop of the narrative reveals a turbulent era of change. Just a year prior to their arrival in Chesterfield, a national minimum wage ($1.00 per hour) was enacted, though Kadohata does not indicate whether Mother actually earns that much. Father, who receives half a cent for each chick he sexes, may make $4 or $5 an hour. However, his work schedules change from day to day without his input or control, leaving him exhausted and at the mercy of his employer. The Takeshimas take advantage of newly enacted home ownership laws which allowed 30-year mortgages on previously constructed houses. They also struggle with whether to support the movement to unionize the rendering plant where Mother works. Doing so might end unfair practices like preventing workers from taking restroom breaks during the workday, having a five-day work week, or having paid time off for the death of a family member. Like many workers, especially those of Japanese descent, Mother does not want to jeopardize her job by voting against the wishes of management.