Under the Blood-Red Sun is a story about the prejudice experienced by a Japanese–American family in Hawaii during the attack on Pearl Harbour.
Tomi Nakaji and his little sister, Kimi, were born in Hawaii, but their parents were born in Japan. When their grandfather, Joji, comes from Japan to live with the family and displays a Japanese flag in their yard, the family’s Japanese heritage stands out even more.
Tomi’s best friend, Billy, a haole (white boy), shares a love of baseball and dogs. Tomi and Billy are out for baseball practice one morning when the sky is suddenly filled with low-flying aircraft. Within minutes, they hear explosions and gunfire and see black smoke rising from the navy yards at Pearl Harbour in the distance. Immediately, Tomi’s life is changed as his family struggles to survive in the face of numerous calamities. Mr. Nakaji is arrested in a roundup of Japanese men, and his boat is scuttled. A vengeful neighbour boy draws attention to the family’s cages of racing pigeons, and Grampa’s old Japanese sword. Tomi and Grampa are forced to slaughter the birds, and soon Joji is among those arrested and sent to camps on the mainland. Tomi’s mother, a housemaid, loses her job.
Salisbury’s depiction of a teen caught in the chaos following the infamous attack on Pearl Harbour is vivid, compelling reading. The story deals with themes of cultural differences, racism and war within a historical context.
