How to Be An American Housewife

I shared this on my main blog, but I think it deserves a spot over here too:

Hello friends.  

An exciting post for you today!  Books!  I recently read How to Be an American Housewife for the BlogHer book club (my favorite!) and upon reading the description was super excited to read it.  It did not disappoint and without further ado I will now declare this a great Fall read!  


For a quick sum up, it tells the story of a Japanese woman, Shoko, who during WWII, who becomes a Japanese war bride and moves to the US for a “better life”.  The story is told through her eyes for most of the book and near the end switches to her American-raised daughter, Sue’s, perspective, which I really liked.  They have a confusing relationship and it is only after Sue visits Japan that she has a better understanding of her mother and all that she went through.  Both of these woman had an incredible story to share and one of my favorite things about the book was the opening of each chapter that had a little paragraph taken from the imaginary book “How to Be An American Housewife”.  I read in the afterword that the author had created this book based on a similar book that her father had given her mother when she moved to the States and I like the way that it framed the book.  I certainly hadn’t thought or read much about the Japanese brides during WWII that came to America, but as far as I can tell this book seems to do a good job and showing the transition from Japan to America and what these women must have experienced.  

If you find yourself in a bookstore soon (or online!) check it out!  

If you read it, can we talk about it?  I'd love to share with someone else! I'll also mail my copy!