Post-Reading respose for the Aleutian Sparrow

Aleutian Sparrow
Hesse, Karen
McGillivary, Kim
Aladdin Paperbacks and 2005
Historical Fiction
Ages 10-14
The Aleutian Sparrow is a story about an Aleutian girl named Vera who was forced out of her home and into a relocation camp during World War two after the Japanese attacked the Aleutian Island. Vera's mother was an Aleutian mother and a white father. Her father was presumed dead after he never returned from a fishing trip when she was young. Her mother sent her to live with an older couple in another town because they needed a girl to help them with chores and her mother most likely wanted to get rid of the burden of her daughter. Vera enjoyed her time with Alexie and Fekla. She enjoyed learning about Aleutian Traditional ways. Vera's life was turned upside down when the Aleutians were forced out of their homes and into horrible conditions. Their new home provided little warmth and sanitation. They were provided with barely edible food and no medical care. Due to the poor conditions and sanitation, most Aleutians became sick and many died. Vera's dear friend Pari was one of those who died from sickness. the death of Pari was very hard for Vera to bare. the two were very close. Vera suffered many losses during this time. Her mother left the camp to move into town thus abandoning her daughter. Vera said that she had never felt more forsaken that at that time. While in the camp Vera fell in love with a childhood friend named Alfred. Vera, Alfred and the other Aleutians who survived there time in the camp were allowed to return home. When Vera and Alfred returned to Alexie and Fekla's home they found it lotted and in terrible condition. Vera's beloved possessions were gone but she was still thankful to be home.

I really liked this book. It took me a little while to get used to the format of the book that was similar to journal entries but i was truly touched by this girls story. This book brought out many emotions for me, among them shock, anger, and sadness. It is hard for me to believe that American citizens were forced to live the way the Aleutians were. I feel for the character of Vera who had such a difficult childhood. She had to deal with the loss of her father, her home and being abandoned by her mother. One of the most unbelievable parts of this story to me was how Vera's mother abandoned her own daughter. I can understand why her mother wanted to get out of the horrible conditions inside of the camp but I cannot imagine leaving my daughter in that horrible place. Also hard for me to understand was Vera's statement that German prisoners of war were treated better that the Aleutians who were American citizens and had done nothing wrong. The Aleutians had even tried to warn the government that the Japanese were surveying the coastline and possibly planning an attack. I find it so shameful that our government treated the Aleutians like they were nothing.

I think that there are many ways that this book could be used to educate students. The plight of the Aleutian people is an excellent example of racism in America. I feel that this book is an excellent way for students to understand the pain the Aleutians felt. I think they could easily relate to Vera and see how horrible their lives would be if they were treated so terribly by our government. I think it is essential that students understand our countries history whether it is good or bad to ensure that events like this never happen again. This is also a good book to use to introduce students to different righting styles and poetry. I defiantly plan to incorporate this book into my classroom.