BITTER AND SWEET

Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
by Jamie Ford

My goodness, if it were not for fine novels with historical events in them I would be of complete loss with my history of the US and the world. My best history lessons come to me now in my novels I escape in.

During the war with Japan and Germany, during the interment camps for our American Japanese and later times, this story of a American Chinese man takes place. The names have been changed because they are make believe but the stories are quite true and sad. I read of the author Pat Conroy reflect on his high school years of being a bigoted jerk towards American Africans, I cannot believe how thousands and millions of people in America; Christians and Jews can discord the crimes in other countries but continue to commit crimes upon their neighbors. But that is another story that continues on.

This novel story, is of a young American Chinese boy and a young American Japanese girl, experience white school bullies, intolerant school teachers and unrelenting parents. Good and bad. Their love for each other highlight their lives. Their continued travel through life and back to each other again. The book describes the life of all of us in those days, the good and the ugly.

My history lesson I finally embrace and am ashamed of. I would not have been so cruel, a lesson of care I 'knew' when I was only 10. I do not know what was up with Pat Conroy, except for testosterone, and I cannot understand that either. Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death...may you have mercy.