So Far from the Bamboo Grove

After failing a military conscription exam and being sent to work in a munitions assembling factory to serve Japan in that way, Hideyo is left behind when his mother and sisters must flee the...

In the story, Mrs. Kawashima, Ko, and Yoko flee their home in Nanam, Korea, and eventually arrive in Kyoto. Even though both Yoko and her sister, Ko, beg Mrs. Kawashima to take them north with her...

This section of the novel marks a significant development and growth in maturity of the narrator, as she moves from thinking that her sister is bossy and controlling after her mother's death to...

Yoko, Ko, and Mrs. Kawashima, who have managed to be taken aboard a hospital train through the intercession of Corporal Matsumura, help with the sick people being transported in their boxcar. They...

In So Far From the Bamboo Grove, Hideyo, like the rest of his family, wishes to leave North Korea and return to his ancestral home of Japan. Hideyo realizes the danger of the communist troops...

When the munitions factory where Hideyo works is ambushed by Korean Communist soldiers, Hideyo just barely escapes with his life. Along with three of his co-workers (Shoichi, Shinzo, and Makoto),...

Yoko learns to appreciate her older sister's wisdom and courage when they cross the iron railroad bridge. Yoko is terrified about crossing the iron railroad bridge. The bridge stands high above...

Written by Japanese American author Yoko Kawashima Watkins, So Far From The Bamboo Grove is a semi-autobiographical novel and tells the story of eleven-year-old Yoko’s childhood in North Korea...

Yoko has been summoned to the principal's office. The principal has just received a letter addressed to Yoko from a Corporal Matsumura. He was the man who came to Yoko's family home one night when...

Yoko's family lives in northeastern Korea, though they are Japanese, because her father is a Japanese government official in Manchuria during World War II. Yoko and her family live 50 miles from...

As Ko, Mother, and Yoko hide in the wild irises, Korean soldiers from the Anti-Japanese Communist Army march past. All three females are on their way to the train station after Corporal Matsumura...

The story begins in North Korea. Not sure of the exact year, but it was during World War II so sometime around the 1939 - 1945 range.

In chapter 9 of So Far From the Bamboo Grove, Yoko and her sister Ko are struggling to raise enough money to buy clothes—let alone food and gifts—to celebrate New Year's Day. As the day draws...

Mrs. Kawashima never explicitly states her values, so we must draw conclusions from her actions and her instructions to her children. We can easily see how much she values family; she walks many...

Yoko believes that if they could only get back to their homeland, everything will be all right, but after their harrowing flight and journey from Nanam to Kyoto, her high expectations are dashed,...

Yoko Kawashima, her mother, and her sister Ko flee their home on July 29, 1945. Although they are Japanese, they live in the town of Nanan in northeastern Korea because Mr. Kawashima is a Japanese...

Ko, "tall and broad-shouldered" (Ch.5), is sixteen when she flees Korea with her mother and little sister Yoko. Forced to shoulder enormous responsibilities, Ko responds with strength...

Well, I haven't read the book, but based on all the comments here and the controversy it has stirred up, I am certainly intrigued to add it to my large stack of books waiting for me on my bedside...

I use this book, an autobioraphical work, paired with Year of Impossible Goodbyes. It does not matter which book you start with, having the counter-point book is vital for the other side of what...

The Kawashimas go out of their way to be kind to the patients on the train. With the help of Corporal Matsumura, the Kawashimas secure a place on a hospital train headed for Seoul. The boxcar in...

Ko says a lot of deeply unpleasant things to her little sister. She can be quite bossy at times, especially during those tense moments when everyone's feeling the pressure. Given the parlous...

The Kawashima family lived in Korea because "Honorable Father" worked for the Japanese government in the northern part of Korea (Manchuria) while the Japanese occupied Korea. In the chaos of World...

The term "Honorable Sister" is most probably a translation of the word "One-esan," which is a common term used by children to address their older sisters. Although the word does have an inherent...