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Speak, Okinawa
Speak, Okinawa: A Memoir | Elizabeth Miki Brina
5 posts | 3 read | 11 to read
A searing, deeply candid memoir about a young woman's journey to understanding her complicated parents--her mother an Okinawan war bride, her father a Vietnam veteran--and her own, fraught cultural heritage. Elizabeth's mother was working as a nightclub hostess on U.S.-occupied Okinawa when she met the American soldier who would become her husband. The language barrier and power imbalance that defined their early relationship followed them to the predominantly white, upstate New York suburb where they moved to raise their only daughter. There, Elizabeth grew up with the trappings of a typical American childhood and adolescence. Yet even though she felt almost no connection to her mother's distant home, she also felt out of place among her peers. Decades later, Elizabeth comes to recognize the shame and self-loathing that haunt both her and her mother, and attempts a form of reconciliation, not only to come to terms with the embattled dynamics of her family but also to reckon with the injustices that reverberate throughout the history of Okinawa and its people. Clear-eyed and profoundly humane, Speak, Okinawa is a startling accomplishment--a heartfelt exploration of identity, inheritance, forgiveness, and what it means to be an American.
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review
Kempfme
Speak, Okinawa: A Memoir | Elizabeth Miki Brina
Mehso-so

This was an interesting story of an immigrant from Okinawa and how she grows up in America with her alcoholic mother.

review
Chelsea.Poole
Speak, Okinawa: A Memoir | Elizabeth Miki Brina
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Pickpick

Elizabeth‘s mother is Okinawan, her father is American. This memoir contains Elizabeth‘s, her parents‘, the Okinawa people‘s experiences. Elizabeth was born in America in 1981 and had, in many ways, the typical growing-up experiences as older millennials. The time + place she grew up positioned her father as the “protector” and default parent, making her mother, who spoke with an accent and living in an unfamiliar country, the “lesser” parent.⬇️

Chelsea.Poole An adult Elizabeth reckons with her relationship with her mother and the cultural influences on it. The sections detailing the history and experiences of the Okinawa people are told in a collective “we”, which I found to be a brilliant way to use the memoir format to convey historical information in an evocative way. Also, a wonderful #audiobook 5 🌟 (edited) 4y
Megabooks Fantastic review!! This is an incredible book! 3y
77 likes3 stack adds2 comments
review
Megabooks
Speak, Okinawa: A Memoir | Elizabeth Miki Brina
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Pickpick

As a child, Elizabeth idolized her American father and dismissed her Okinawan mother. She didn‘t appreciate all the difficulties her mother faced: growing up in extreme poverty, moving to the US while knowing little English, and then raising a daughter that didn‘t care to learn about her culture. This is Elizabeth‘s journey to discover her Okinawan heritage and understand her mother. Excellent memoir that includes some history of Okinawa, too!

Crazeedi Hi Meg! Hope you are well🥰 4y
Megabooks @Crazeedi Hey Diane! I am. A few creaks and pops, but generally doing okay! How are you? 💕💕 4y
EvieBee Just checked this out from the library! 4y
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Megabooks @EvieBee it is an incredible memoir. I‘ve read 60 memoirs this year, and it is easily in the top 6. (Memoirs are my number one category by far!) 4y
Crazeedi @Megabooks I'm good, at the lake for 2 weeks !🥰 4y
Megabooks @Crazeedi awesome!! 4y
Cinfhen Really, top 6? What about this one makes it a stand out for you?? (edited) 3y
Megabooks @Cinfhen I‘m going to try to go to bed but shortly, I liked how she incorporated all the different histories together in a beautiful way. Her own, her parents romance, and the island‘s history. Check out @Chelsea.Poole ‘s review. She explains it better! 3y
Megabooks @Cinfhen she just reviewed it Wednesday, so it should be top of page on the book‘s. 3y
Cinfhen Thanks, sweet dreams 💕 3y
92 likes4 stack adds10 comments
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Megabooks
Speak, Okinawa: A Memoir | Elizabeth Miki Brina
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#bookhaul!! This weekend is going to be great!

The top three are B&N from a fun afternoon browsing! Migrations is definitely blame @BarbaraBB and the tagged was a surprise snag from the new in area. My library doesn‘t have it. It‘s a memoir, so I‘ll probably enjoy it! 😁

#botm sent me a voucher for a free book, and I wanted to read Imposter Syndrome, but I‘m canceling again Monday. (I know @Reviewsbylola 😂)

This is my mom‘s indoor garden 🌸

AmyG Migrations is EXCELLENT. 4y
Soubhiville Yay! Migrations was really good. 4y
JennyM And more love for Migrations - it‘s beautiful ✨❤️ (edited) 4y
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Chelsea.Poole Adding my love for Migrations to all the others 🥰 4y
BarbaraBB Are we overhyping Migrations😂😉? I hope you‘ll love it. And I love the picture - especially that porch in the background 😍 4y
Megabooks @AmyG @Soubhiville @JennyM @Chelsea.Poole @BarbaraBB with all this love, I‘m glad I found it and put back another book! I had my eye out for it but didn‘t spot it until I was about to leave! 🎉💕 4y
Megabooks @BarbaraBB And thanks for the deck love! We really have enjoyed it during Covid! (That‘s just a small piece of it.) 4y
Cinfhen I don‘t think, Meg is gonna love Migrations...but I‘ve been wrong before 😜I DO LOVE THIS PHOTO 😍and of course the memoir caught my eye too!!! 4y
Cinfhen I‘ll be curious to hear your thoughts on this one...I LOVED IT for all of the Jewish nostalgia 4y
Cinfhen I was on the fence about ordering this one...I‘ll be waiting to see your review 4y
Megabooks @Cinfhen Omg, this memoir is SO GOOD so far!! We‘ll see about Migrations. 🤔 And thanks! My mom loves indoor (and outdoor) gardening. That pink plant has been around for about 20 years now. No exaggeration! She‘s really talented with plants. 4y
Megabooks @Cinfhen I got it because of your review. 🤞🏻 It‘ll bring that Dirty Dancing vibe! 4y
Megabooks @Cinfhen I‘m enjoying these techno books lately like The Atmospherians and this one. It‘s become such a part of life. 4y
Hooked_on_books You managed to get this picture at such a perfect angle that I feel like everything is about to fall just looking at it. Nice job! 4y
Megabooks @Cinfhen Anyway, have a great day. I‘ll go to bed eventually! 😂😂 (edited) 4y
Megabooks @Hooked_on_books Thanks! It took several tries, but I like it too. 👍🏻 4y
Cinfhen That was another #BoTM I wasn‘t sure about.... hoping I can #BorrowNotBuy for both Imposter and People Like Her. #Scribd usually gets all the audiobooks/ they are MUCH better than my library for audio 4y
Megabooks @Cinfhen Yeah, I think I‘m going through a phase. 🤷🏻‍♀️ But I‘m really enjoying it! 👍🏻 4y
118 likes18 comments
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Graciouswarriorprincess
Speak, Okinawa: A Memoir | Elizabeth Miki Brina
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#Bookmail today. I love getting the monthly @BookPage . And our little free library Spring newsletter arrived too.

bibliobliss I love and miss BookPage 4y
Graciouswarriorprincess @bibliobliss I was so happy when I moved to NC and the library systems have them. Otherwise, I would have probably ordered it online. 4y
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JanuarieTimewalker13 My book buddy in Cali just finished tagged book and gave it 5 stars 4y
Graciouswarriorprincess @JanuarieTimewalker13 I am adding it to my TBR list. Thanks. 4y
JanuarieTimewalker13 You‘re welcome!! Just note that it is a disturbing read. She was on up to p7 when she had to pause for a bit. I‘m not sure what happened in the interim, but she told me it was a 5 star read. I want to read it too! 4y
JanuarieTimewalker13 You‘re welcome🌻 4y
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