Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi (Edward Irving Wortis) is about a thirteen-year old boy who must flee his village in order to free himself from the wrath of the powerful steward, John Aycliffe. The story takes place in medieval England, in the year 1377. This is after the Black Death which Crispin is told took his father. Crispin at first, does not know his name. He also does not know much about the world outside his village, Stromford. Near his village, there is a church, Saint Giles by-the-River where the villagers go to pray. Later the setting changes as he must go on the run to avoid being killed. The setting now in the middle of nowhere, where Crispin must survive in fear of his persuers.

So Far from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins Chapters 8-11

After finally finishing So Far from the Bamboo Grove, I am left spellbound by the author's well described emotions. She also expertly showed the terrors of war.

As the book progresses, the characters evolve and grow up. After Yoko's mother comes back from a trip, she faintly talks and then dies. This incident shows how Yoko and Ko have grown because both of the sisters quickly accept that there mother is no more. They go to a crematory and have their mother's ashes put in a mess kit. The sisters remain strong and still go to school while they feed themselves. This independance shows how strong-minded they have become.

In addition, more of Yoko's character is revealed. The way she shows genuine concern for her school's janitor shows that Yoko is caring and loving, just like mother. She actually tries to help him with his stuttering problem while others mock him for it.

Some more character is shown when Yoko wins the essay contest. Instead of writing about her trouble in Korea, she choses to talk about her school. This might be because it is too painful for her to relive her Korean life or she wants to shield others from the terror of war. This shows that although she can outlast ordeals, it is tough for her to relive them. This is true for many people, especially war veterans, who lived through violent wars, but go into tears when they have to talk about the confusion of war.

Overall, So Far from the Bamboo Grove is a wonderful book. No other book that I have read has so expertly captured the sadness of war through the eyes of an individual.

So Far from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Chapters 4-7

After a few more chapters of this book, I must say that the event that left the largest imppression on me was when the factory where Hideyo, Yoko's brother works at, was overtaken by Communist Korean soldiers. This is because the author explained in great detail how the Koreans killed Hideyo's friends and what the town looked like after the raid. You also can really feel the emotions that Hideyo is experiencing.

After escaping the factory, Hideyo goes to his house, where he shows his cleverness by taking any food he found and matches, a savings book, and toiletries, as well as extra clothing. Hideyo has clearly thought about what he would need on his journey to catch up with his mother and sisters.

Meanwhile, the others are in a train staition in Seoul where they are stuck in horrible conditions like having to eat garbage. Later, the Kawashimas go to Pusan, where they are in a warehouse and must deal with more garbage food, cramped conditions, dirty places, and lastly, the possibility of rape by drunken Korean men who are celebrating their independance. They help each other survive by looking out for each other and by making themselves look like boys.

After getting to Japan, Mrs. Kawashima stops in Kyoto because she wants her children to continue their education, even in a war torn country. This shows that she is concerned about their education which could help others avoid war. It also shows that she might be Confucianist because her belief in the importance of education is a Confucianist ideal.

Mrs. Kawashima values education, love for the family, kindness, and friendship. The girls show these values when Yoko shares her food and her water with a pregnant woman on a hospital train, showing friendship and kindness. Ko shows her mother's values by bringing roasted corn when her family is hungry. This shows kindness and love for the family.

So Far from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins Chapters 1-3

In So Far from the Bamboo Grove, the author's Japanese family must flee World War II North Korea after hearing that the Russians have landed. The book is about this journey to Seoul in South Korea. After reading about this family's first few weeks on the road, I felt sad about the Family's many setbacks, having to get off a train because of a bombing, having to almost getting bombed themselves. I also realised what war might have felt like.
The Kawashima family gets on a hospital train and they try to help the patients. For instance, they help a pregnant woman give birth. They also give their food and water to her. They also try to make the patients feel better. This reveals that the Kawashima family is very compassionate.
Later on, the Kawashimas have to face some Communist Korean soldiers and are almost turned in. However, an airplane drops a bomb on them, killing the soldiers and saving them. This is ironic because the Kawashimas were always practicing bomb drills back home so that they wouldn't get killed. However, the same fearful bombs helped them greatly.
The author refers to her sister as "Honorable Sister." Sometimes, the author exchanges less than honorable words between each other. They have a relation ship where they dislike each other smetimes, but always love each other. Her older seems bossy to the author. This probably because she is trying to care for her younger sister and is bossing her around to keep her safe.
The Kawashima family faces a life-or-death situation by going to Seoul. This helps them deal with hardships because they have been living in a world of hardship. The way the Kawashimas act seems the way that many others would act as. On the train, they look after the other patients and feel sorry for them, and give them their food. Others would probably act this way because you would feel sorry to see a wounded/sick person and try to be compassionate and help them.