Synopsis
After growing up near San Francisco, a young Japanese woman returns with her parents to their native Japan, but she feels foreign and out of place.
This story, based on the author's mother's experiences while growing up, tells the story of May (known as Masako), a young Japanese-American girl growing up in San Francisco, who loves the city she lives in. Her family honors the tradition and culture of their Japanese heritage, even though they live in the United States. May finds herself in a struggle between her Japanese heritage and her American culture, and vows to figure out her own path in life. But then, May finds out that she and her family are moving back to Japan--her parents are homesick. When she arrives in Japan, May finds herself in an even stronger struggle to be an independent young woman. How will she choose what is right for her without hurting her parents? With color illustrations throughout. A Publisher's Weekly Best Book of 1999.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1999-03-29 | | Illustrator: | Allen Say | | Edition Description: | Illustrated |
| Size | | Length: | 32 pages | | Height: | 11.0 in | | Width: | 9.8 in | | Thickness: | 0.2 in | | Weight: | 18.4 oz |
Publisher's Note
At home in San Francisco, May speaks Japanese and the family eats rice and miso soup and drinks green tea. When she visits her friends' homes, she eats fried chicken and spaghetti. May plans someday to go to college and live in an apartment of her own. But when her family moves back to Japan, she soon feels lost and homesick for America. In Japan everyone calls her by her Japanese name, Masako. She has to wear kimonos and sit on the floor. Poor May is sure that she will never feel at home in this country. Eventually May is expected to marry and a matchmaker is hired. Outraged at the thought, May sets out to find her own way in the big city of Osaka. With elegant watercolors reminiscent of Grandfather's Journey, Allen Say has created a moving tribute to his parents and their path to discovering where home really is. The accompanying story of his mother and her journey as a young woman is heartfelt. Vividly portraying the graceful formality of Japan, Tea with Milk effectively captures th
With elegant watercolors, Say has created a moving tribute to his parents and their path to discovering where home really is. The story of his mother and her journey as a young woman is heartfelt. Vividly portraying the graceful formality of Japan, this book effectively captures the struggle between two cultures as May, the young girl in the story, strives to live her own destiny. Full color.
Industry Reviews
Say's masterfully executed watercolors tell as much of this story about a young woman's challenging transition from America to Japan as his eloquent, economical prose. Raised near San Francisco, Masako (her American friends called her May) is uprooted after high school when her parents return to their Japanese homeland. In addition to repeating high school to learn Japanese, she must learn the arts of a "proper Japanese lady" flower arranging, calligraphy and the tea ceremony and is expected to marry well. Declaring "I'd rather have a turtle than a husband," the independent-minded Masako heads for the city of Osaka and gets a job in a department store. With his characteristic subtlety, Say sets off his cultural metaphor from the very start, contrasting the green tea Masako has for breakfast in her home, with the "tea with milk and sugar" she drinks at her friends' houses in America. Later, when she meets a young Japanese businessman who also prefers tea with milk and sugar to green tea, readers will know that she's met her match. Say reveals on the final page that the couple are his parents. Whether the subject is food ("no more pancakes or omelets, fried chicken or spaghetti" in Japan) or the deeper issues of ostracism (her fellow students call Masako "gaijin" foreigner) and gender expectations, Say provides gentle insights into human nature as well as East-West cultural differences. His exquisite, spare portraits convey emotions that lie close to the surface and flow easily from page to reader: with views of Masako's slumping posture and mask-like face as she dons her first kimono, or alone in the schoolyard, it's easy to sense her dejection. Through choice words and scrupulously choreographed paintings, Say's story communicates both the heart's yearning for individuality and freedom and how love and friendship can bridge cultural chasms. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)
Frankel
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