Under the Blood-Red Sun

Image courtesy of Delacorte

Bibliography

Salisbury, Graham. Under the Blood-red Sun. New York: Delacorte, 1994. Print. ISBN 9780385386555

Plot Summary

On the island of Oahu and not far from Pearl Harbor, a young Japanese American boy, Tomi Nakaji lives a simple life playing with friends, going to school, and respecting his family. His mother is a housekeeper, and his family is allowed to live on the same property as the big house. His father is a fisherman. Sometimes a bully in the neighborhood challenges Tomi’s resolve to not shame his family name by fighting. That alone is a big enough challenge, but when the tensions of World War II increase and Pearl Harbor is bombed by the Japanese, everyone is engaged in searching out the Japanese traitors. Readers go with Tomi through dodging bullets, baseball games, fishing adventures, sneaking onto army grounds to see his father as a falsely imprisoned prisoner of war, and through trying to learn how to grow up and take care of his family in this turbulent time.

Critical Analysis

Salisbury brings to life heart-wrenching drama through a dynamic characterization of Tomi, his family, his friends, and his worst enemies. Rich and realistic dialect and cultural descriptions of the characters make it is easy to imagine yourself in Tomi’s group of friends amidst the jungle of the island and the urban areas of Oahu. The rich setting of this historical novel provides great background into the fishing boat experience at sea, the contrast of living in a small servant’s quarter with no plumbing, the contrast of different economic areas nearby, and the feeling of martial law suppressing the island. Readers will discover themes of dignity as Tomi comes to terms with valuing his culture, taking on the important tasks of protecting the family pride and heirloom, as well as realizing responsibilities in becoming the man of the house.

Salisbury carefully researched events and experiences of people in the area at the time. He also draws from his own experiences, having known similar characters in life. Events, dialects, and setting of the time are accurately portrayed. The story is put together in a natural way reflecting the cultures and events of the time. There is plenty of suspense built into the plot as Tomi and others act in ways that represent reactions of real people in America during World War II. However, I personally felt the story ended unfinished. I suspect Salisbury did this on purpose, as the sequel picks up a year later in The House of the Red Fish.

Awards and Review Excerpts

1994 Scott O’Dell Award

1998 Nene Award (Hawaii’s Young Readers Choice Award)

2014 Phoenix Award Honor Book

1999 California Young Reader Award

1995 YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, ALA

From Kirkus Reviews: “Salisbury evokes historical time and place effortlessly so that the true message of the story--the value of friendship--shines through.”

From Booklist: “Under the Blood-Red Sun frankly explores themes with universal appeal; Tomi’s search for identity, the tug-of-war he feels between his Japanese family and his American friends, his fear of a seemingly distant war that quickly becomes a part of his everyday existence, and his struggles to deal with bullying children and adults are all ones that listeners today will be just as invested in as they were when the book first came out, 20 years ago.”

From Publisher’s Weekly: “Salisbury skillfully describes Tomi's emotional highs and lows, and has a particular knack for realistically portraying the camaraderie and dialogue between boyhood chums.”

Connections

Read as an opening background experience to start a unit of study for World War II.

Compare and contrast experiences of different cultures within the U.S. during WWII.

Compare and contrast experiences of people in different countries during WWII. Pair with The Boy with the Striped Pajamas. ISBN 978-0385751537

Research military strategies and weapons as part of a scientific investigation.

Research military or political careers for those with an interest.

Students may write opinion pieces for a newspaper editorial from the point of view of one of the book’s characters.

Play board game Risk.

Create diary entries from a character in the book.