‘Under The Blood Red Sun’ Shares Pearl Harbor History

If you’re interested in the history of Pearl Harbor, then check out the award-winning novel Under the Blood Red Sun by Graham Salisbury. It follows the life of a young Japanese-American boy growing up in Hawaii during World War II and will soon debut as a movie.

Although fictional in characters, the sequence of events covered throughout this novel is very much real. From the moment the U.S. declares war on Japan to Japanese internment camps forcing families a part, the Hawaii-born author does a nice job in intertwining history with this young boy’s story.

I remember reading this novel in high school when I first realized just how much of a struggle it had been for not only Japanese-Americans but the rest of the world as well. I know I’ve heard my share of WWII stories from my grandparents and older aunties and uncles. This, however, introduced a new perspective from someone closer to my age.

Plus, you’ll start to appreciate Hawaii’s Pidgin-English a little more. Most of the characters speak Pidgin in their dialogue, so it’s neat to be reminded of where that language, still used today, originated from.

If you don’t want to read the book, then wait around for the movie that has already begun filming in Hawaii. Everyone in the cast – except for Academy Award-winning actor Chris Tashima from L.A. – is local!

Posted by: Bruce Fisher on Nov 9, 2013