The Stand

“I sound like Mr. DeWitt, God. He sure hates the Japanese – even the ones that were born here. Is that okay with You?” Will opened his eyes and looked at the map again. Was the answer up there? Were the Japanese who wanted ice-cream the same ones who wanted his father as their prisoner? If they were, he decided, Mr. DeWitt was right. He was going to have to hate them too.

Book: The Stand (Christian Heritage Series: The Santa Fe Years #3) by Nancy Rue, Focus On The Family Publishing/Bethany House Publishers, 2001

Genre: Historical Fiction

Target Audience: Boys 10-14

Subjects: Friendship, Identity, Crime, Relationship with parents and siblings

Summary: Nips, Nisei, Japs, viper, slant-eyes, issei – what are the Japanese–Americans? Will needs to know. Some refer to them as “those miserable Japanese” in angry muttered tones. Some refer to them as “God’s creation”. Some refer to them as “untrustworthy”, claiming they aided in Pearl Harbor. Some claim they are innocent people being imprisoned. Will doesn’t know what to think! And if that weight on his mind wasn’t heavy enough, he has to deal with the fact that his decision about how to view the Japanese will make the difference between having friends at school or not and how much trouble he gets into with his mom. In fact, before long, the whole community seems torn apart by the decision and Will finds himself right in the middle of it.

Notes: This is the fifth set of books in the Christian Heritage Series. Each set focuses on a particular time period and tells the story of a young boy growing up in that time. This set is about a young boy who is growing up during World War II while his father is off fighting in the battles. In this book, Will faces the issue of how to view the Japanese people as a whole. Obviously the Japanese soldiers killing and capturing Americans are an enemy but does that mean Will should hate little Japanese-American children he meets right here in his own community? One of those who mentors Will tells him that God loves His creation, not hates it. There is a difference between hating the evil acts that men do and hating that which God has created. It’s also a strong focus on friendship as Will has to figure out who to listen to and follow. Will desperately wants to find friends and fit in at school so when Herb, a new anglo boy, the only other one in Will’s class, befriends him, Will finds himself going along with things he wouldn’t normally do and neglecting those he has previously called friend. In the issue of the Japanese, Will hears different adults telling him opposite opinions. One adult says to love them, another adult says to hate them. Right from the start though, Will turns to the right source for answers – he prays, asking God to show him what to do. Throughout the book he consciously examines his heart, seeking to determine what God wants of him.

Recommendation Scale: 5//5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Proverbs 1:5 – let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance

Galatians 3:28 – There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.