Eyes of the Emperor

by Graham Salisbury

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Starred Review. In the fall of 1941, Eddy Okubo, 16, alters his birth certificate to enlist in the U.S. Army, serving alongside his older "dock dog" buddies who are completing boot camp in their native Hawaii. Eddy's father, a boat builder of Japanese descent, is initially aghast, but after the "cowardly and shameful" sneak attack on the U.S. fleet in Pearl Harbor, realizes his son has acted honorably. Eddy has second thoughts when he and his mates report for duty and find themselves under suspicion—indeed even under armed watch at times—solely because of their ancestry. Asked repeatedly to prove themselves, Eddy's unit members do their job and maintain their dignity until one assignment rattles the men's resolve. Based on a real experiment that took place on an island off Mississippi, Eddy and other Japanese-American soldiers are used as "bait" for dogs the Army is training to hunt and kill enemies in the Pacific. (In an author's note, Salisbury reports interviewing eight of the 26 actual participants.) The novel brims with memorable and haunting scenes—the chaos that ensues in Honolulu after the bombing, the Japanese sailor who is so disgraced after his capture that he asks to be shot, the dog training which involved laying horsemeat on the soldiers' necks to teach the dogs to go for the kill. A companion novel to Salisbury's Under the Blood-Red Sun, this is a valuable and gripping addition to the canon of WW II historical fiction from a perspective young readers rarely see. Ages 12-up. (Aug.)
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Gr 8 Up–Salisbury continues to make his mark by bringing alive the time in Hawaii when the U.S. entered World War II. Eddy, a 16-year-old Japanese American, tells how he and his buddies, Chik and Cobra, become part of Company B of the 100th Infantry Battalion following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Without discounting the community's old loyalties to Japan, the story makes clear the transition caused by the declaration of war, and by the desire to be part of the great fight to protect America. These young men are patriotic, but the powers that be have a hard time trusting their dedication. The novel is based on historical fact, and Salisbury brings events vividly to life as he recounts one humiliation after another foisted on the troops, from the top down to their immediate commanders. In one scene, these soldiers are heading to training camps on trains that pass internment camps for other Japanese Americans. As the actual assignment unfolds–they are to act as bait in the training of attack dogs–the pernicious racism and absurd beliefs are further revealed. The immediacy of the writing allows readers to imagine themselves as one of the boys. A story with huge implications for observers of current events.–Carol A. Edwards, Douglas County Libraries, Castle Rock, CO
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From BookList, May 15, 2005, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
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*Starred Review*
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Gr. 7-10. Like Harry Mazer's Heroes Don't Run,on p.1671, this novel is about a teen, this time from Honolulu, who lies about his age to enlist in the U.S Army during World War II. But Eddie Okubo, 16, is Japanese American, and the racism he encounters in the military is as terrifying to him as the fire of the enemy. Here Salisbury draws on his interviews with many Japanese American veterans who remember their experiences in powerful detail--their patriotism, courage, and anguish. Eddie's frank, first-person narrative weaves in the facts of how the "Japs" were segregated from the regular soldiers, assigned unskilled hard labor and marches to nowhere, and then, in a shocking (failed) experiment that was ordered by President Roosevelt, were directed to act as enemies and train attack dogs to pick up the so-called Japanese body odor. The cruel training, the vicious prejudice from many officers, the camaraderie among the soldiers, and the mixed-up news from family bring a view of American history seldom told and open up the meanings of homeland and patriotism. Salisbury's Under the Blood-Red Sun (1994), which was also set in Hawaii after Pearl Harbor, won the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction.

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