Brazil-Maru

By: Susan Straight and Karen Tei Yamashita

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Synopsis: An “immensely entertaining” historical novel about Japanese immigrants and their struggle to make a home in a Brazilian rainforest (Newsday). In 1925, a band of Japanese immigrants arrive in Brazil to carve a utopia out of the jungle. Yamashita conjures “an intricate and fascinating epoch” (San Diego Review) where the dream of creating a new world, the cost of idealism, the symbiotic tie between a people and the land they settle, and the changes demanded by a new generation all collide in a “splendid multi-generational novel . . . rich in history and character” (San Francisco Chronicle). “Warm, compassionate, engaging, and thought-provoking.” —The Washington Post “Yamashita’s heightened sense of passion and absurdity, and respect for inevitability and personality, infuse this engrossing multigenerational immigrant saga with energy, affection, and humor.” —Booklist “Poignant and remarkable.” —Philadelphia Inquirer “With a subtle ominousness, Yamashita sets up her hopeful, prideful characters—and, in the process, the entire genre of pioneer lit—for a fall.” —Village Voice “Full of sad and poignant scenes and some hilarious ones, too.”—Star Tribune “Historically informative and emotionally complex.” —Bloomsbury Review “Unique and entertaining.” —International Examiner “Particularly insightful.” —Library Journal “Informative and timely.” —Kirkus Reviews