Real Stories from My Time: Pearl Harbor

Published 2018. Author: Jennifer Swanson (with excerpts from Kirby Larson's Nanea stories). Illustrator: Kelley McMorris.

Summary

Nanea enjoys playing with her friends in Honolulu, but rumors of war making her nervous. She knows fighting is going on around the world, but none in Hawaii--so far. But that date which will live in infamy dawns with a surprise attack. Nanea's peaceful morning is interrupt with the sounds of battle. Her father heads for the shipyard, reasoning that they'll need his civilian help in addition to the military people already called in via radio. Nanea's mother and siblings are terrified, Nanea most of all. By afternoon, martial law and a curfew are in place. And then people with Japanese ancestry, even American citizens, start facing suspicion, discrimination, arrests...and internment camps. One of Nanea's best friends, Lily, has her (Japanese-American) father arrested before her eyes. Lily's family is no longer allowed to have their radio, and her brother's car had a racial slur written on the windshield. Her father is released in Nanea's book, but that's skipped here. Nanea's last excerpt has her and her friends assisting Nanea's grandmother in making fabric netting that the military will use for camouflage. Helping, even in a small way, makes Nanea feel better, and gives her hope.


Misc

Dedicated to the "men and women who lost their lives in the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7. 1941." I still can't get over the fact that those lives lost included two babies. Janet Yumiko Ohta was three months old, Eunice Wilson was seven months. They weren't the only minors killed.

"Hawaii is a beautiful place to live." Having done so...it's not for everyone. Lots of amazing things there, but I can't handle that kind of humidity. It's expensive, too.

Imperial Japan wasn't just taking land from China. They were committing horrible atrocities and war crimes, which aren't child-friendly, but could have been mentioned obliquely.

I find calling the Pearl Harbor attack "a daring plan" (the title of one chapter) to be disrespectful to the people who died during it, especially the completely innocent civilians. It makes the attack sound too noble to me. It would like describing the Japanese interment camps as "a brave idea."

I really like this quote from President Roosevelt, upon lifting the ban on Americans of Japanese ancestry in the military: "Americanism is not, and never was, a matter of race or ancestry...Americanism is a matter of the mind and heart."

Like the other Real Stories from My Time books, this one includes stories from real people who lived through the attack, as well as pictures (hand-drawn and photographs).

The Baby-sitters Club Netflix TV Series: The Truth About Stacey

Netflix has a new original series: The Baby-sitters Club! The first season covers the first eight books plus a sort of adaptation of of the second super special, Baby-sitters Summer Vacation. AND...it's set in the present day (2019/2020), updated accordingly, and much more diverse. The plots are broadly the same as the original books. Here are some things that I noticed:

What stood out as surprisingly (not necessarily good or bad) different to me:

Stacey keeps her diabetes secret until this episode, She uses an insulin pump instead of having daily injections. Her mom seems more invested in hiding Stacey's diabetes than her dad does.

Some of the adults are called by their first names--which is how I prefer everyone to address me.

Charlotte Johanssen is adopted rather than either of her mothers doing IVF with one of their ova. At least, I think she's not the same ethnicity as her moms, but I'm not great with faces.

The Baby-sitters Agency sends the BSC on fake jobs, including one for an elderly man.

The Agency finds a cell phone video of Stacey having a seizure brought on by diabetic shock and post it online to discredit the BSC. There's a brief mention of cyber-bullying, but it's pretty disappointing to see the parents of the BSC charges so ready to think that it's better to trust the group that sent the video as retaliation for being called out on leaving a four-year-old unsupervised outside over a group that includes someone who had trouble getting an accurate medical diagnosis. Stacey has to basically hold a press conference to explain and nearly apologize, and offers to resign from the BSC. Dr. Johanssen comes to her defense, explaining how maturely Stacey handles her diabetes. Even then, it takes Kristy reminding the other parents about the cyber-bullying for them to trust the BSC.

What I was happy stayed the same:

Kid-kits make their debut.

The scene with Jamie Newton alone in the street and talking to his mom is done well.

Other interesting touches: 

Watson gives Elizabeth a family heirloom ring for an engagement ring.

I'm impressed that the cars have Connecticut license plates.

Kristy says the club has to do the most responsible thing possible. Mary Anne confidently replies, "Vacuum."