Kira-Kira (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Cynthia Kadohata
- First Published: 2004
- Type of Work: Novel
- Genres: Long fiction, Bildungsroman
- Subjects: 1950’s, Family or family life, Parents and children, Racism, South or Southerners, Prejudices or antipathies, Georgia, Sisters, Death or dying, Funeral rites or ceremonies, Japanese Americans
- Locales: Georgia
Like Kadohata's first novel, Kira-Kira is set within the tightly knit world of a Japanese American family in the American South in the 1950's. The novel's title is actually the first word her sister Lynn, who is four years older, teaches the narrator, Katie Takeshima. In Japanese, Kira-Kira means “glittering.” To the consternation of their traditional mother, Katie and Lynn apply kira-kira to everything they like, including Kleenex tissue. Even though the two sisters are very close, Kadohata shows how each views the world slightly differently. This occurs when a dog...
[The entire page is 861 words long]
See Also:
See Also:
- - Kira-Kira summary and study guide in the eNotes.
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