Jar of Dreams

Recently I read Jar of Dreams by Yoshiko Uchida. The only complaint I had was that it was too short! It was a tale of a Japanese-American family in the Bay area who struggled to make their way in America in the face of discrimination. The narrative is from a young girl's perspective. She has an aunt who comes to America to visit for the first time over the summer. While Rinko at first feels awkward of about her aunt, who fully embraces her Japanese heritage, over the summer her perspective changes.

I loved this book, because I made me understand the perspective of others. More than a hundred years ago, my family came over from Germany on my mom's side and Ireland on my dad's side. But I never experienced being an immigrant myself. Sure, I moved to another state after college, and there was a bit of culture shock going from Ohio to California, but nothing like what the family went through in Jar of Dreams. I can't pretend to understand, but reading this book definitely opened my eyes more. As a teacher, I really try to understand my students, some of which are recent immigrants.

Being from Rinko's perspective, all of the things her family faced were written simply, instead of being all political hodge-podge. While America isn't perfect, people still come for a chance of a better life. I hope as a teacher, I am always helping my students have a better life. That's why I read- to understand my world and my students better.