Wartime Memories

Community program features two books, two perspectives on the effect of World War II on California families

Two books that describe the effect of World War II on California families will be the focus of Silicon Valley Reads 2006, the program that asks everyone in the community to read and discuss the same book during Silicon Valley Reads Month in February.

The books are "When The Emperor Was Divine" by Julie Otsuka and "The Souvenir: A Daughter Discovers Her Father's War" by Louise Steinman.

Otsuka's novel tells the story of a Japanese American family that is forced to leave their Berkeley home for an internment camp in Utah during World War II. Otsuka was born in Palo Alto and her mother, uncle and grandparents experienced internment during the war.

Steinman's book is a combination memoir, biography and history lesson. After her parents' death, Steinman finds hundreds of letters written by her father while he was in the Pacific during World War II. She also discovers a Japanese flag with the name of a Japanese soldier, and travels from California to Japan to return the flag to his family.

"Both of these books are beautifully written and touch on subjects that warrant thoughtful discussion," said Colleen Wilcox, Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools and co-chair of Silicon Valley Reads. "We encourage everyone in the Valley to read one or both of these wonderful books and to talk about them with family, friends, neighbors and co-workers."

This is the fourth year of Silicon Valley Reads which is co-sponsored by the Santa Clara County Office of Education, Santa Clara County Library, and San Jose Public Library Foundation. The goals of the program are to promote reading and literacy while building community through an open dialogue that leads to a valuable exchange of perspectives, life experiences and understanding among widely-diverse readers.

Silicon Valley Reads book selections are made by a Community Advisory Board from recommendations made by a selection committee composed of librarians, teachers and avid readers from the community.

"We hope that these books and the Silicon Valley Reads events will bring together members of the Greatest Generation with others in the community so that they can share their own memories and perspectives about the impact of war on their lives," said Melinda Cervantes, Santa Clara County Librarian who also serves as a co-chair of Silicon Valley Reads along with Jane Light, San Jose City Librarian.

A wide variety of Silicon Valley Reads programs will be scheduled at locations throughout region during February. Information is available at www.siliconvalleyreads.org or call Diane McNutt at (408) 354-1242.