One Book, One Philadelphia: The Buddha in the Attic

I really like the idea of one book, one city, so I always try to read what's chosen. The One Book, One Philadelphia: The Buddha in the Attic is no exception. I may not attend any of the activities that surround the book, but I still support the idea that literacy is a community effort and should be a priority throughout our lives. I also happen to love libraries which is where the idea stemmed.
 The story unfolds as young Japanese women known as picture brides are coming to America, specifically San Fransisco in the early 1900s post WW1 to seek what they hope will be a new life with new possibilities. Turns out that the men they have been corresponding with through pictures and notes are not who they purported to be. These men are older, with laboring jobs that need a partner to share the work load. The women acquiesce to their needs and remain haunted by the amount of work they endure as field laborers, shop keepers, and maids in their new land. As told in plural narration, the transition for these women is daunting from the language barrier that keeps them isolated to the western views that confuse them.  As they assimilate to the way of life in their new land, cultural inheritance is traded for more American ways, putting Buddha in the attic where he remains throughout their lives. The remaining part of the story is the discharge of Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbor. The way they are dispatched is so very sad and begs us to reflect on the injustices of war for those who are removed because of their heritage and culture. Fear plays front and center in this story on all sides. That is precisely what the author wants us to see that war, fear, and cultural injustice go hand and hand.