“He is willing to fight for his country, but will his country be willing to fight for him?”
Four-Four-Two is a historical fiction dating back to 1941, World War II. Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor, America had declared war on them, Adolf Hitler is causing terror with the jews, and had declared war on America. Yuki, an AJA (Americans of Japanese Ancestries) was conflicted. After the Bombing of Pearl Harbor America did not trust the AJA or as they like to call them “Japs.” Yuki wanted to prove that he is American, that his loyalty is to the country. He and his best friends, Shig, signed up to fight in the name of America, along with other AJA, since Americans did not want to fight along side them. In their journey they have encountered new friends, bloodshed, and tears. They fought, along with their fellow AJA war mates, gun fires, bombs, and losses. Yuki is fighting for his country, but also his recognition. And even the heartbreak, and fear did not hold him back, for in his sights were not death, but the honor in the end.
This book was an amusing book to read. I’ve never read much of historical fiction, but this one stood out. when I read the summary I was amazes at how absorbed I was. This book got me thinking of all the people who sacrificed their lives for America, and how those survived never had a normal life again. Yuki made me realize that fighting for something can be worth it. And what I enjoyed the most in this book was the friendships that were bonded. It really shows that in the darkest hour a friend is all you need to look in the bright side. Also, even if Yuki was fighting a war he still manages to keep in touch with his loved once, especially a girl that she loved dearly. On the other hand there are some things I either didn’t like, or didn’t understand. Sometimes I did not keep up with all the characters. There were characters that were in for one part, then disappeared. Especially when Japan calls people with their last name sometimes, it’s hard to keep track. Another addition is that the characters that were Japanese Hawaiian talked in a language I did not understand most of the time. But other than that I enjoyed it.
A book such as this requires focus to know what’s going on and terms such as “battalion or “company” or “platoon.” It took me a while to get the hang on things too. I recommend this book to people who love war stories, and Historical Fiction. But also to people that just want to learn something new, because the characters may be fiction, but the information is not.