CanadianContent discussion

Reminiscent of Obasan, Forgiveness goes a step further contrasting the lives of Mark's two grandparents - a paternal grandmother who was interned in western Canada and his maternal grandfather who was a POW held by Japanese forces. It is a powerful memoir!

I read this a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. I remember it being very informative, inspiring and readable.

Chapters has hardcovers for $5. There are none available online, but some stores still have them.

Book Outlet has them for under $2 weirdly! I got one there.

I loved this book... it was "eye opening" and is a story of resilience, grace and strength. I am very glad to see it as part of Canada Reads this year!

Ageed @Susan.

Enjoyed Forgiveness by Mark Sakamoto as well. Found it touching, eye-opening and inspirational - an excellent way of paying tribute and honouring his grandparents by the author. Even more important, was that Sakamoto kept their stories alive and shared them with Canadians and others who need to know what happened in our country's his/herstory.

Emmkay and I attended last evening's 2018 Canada Reads' Launch and were able to see and hear Mark Sakamoto and Jeanne Becker together. They seemed to have made quite a personal connection and also share a very similar history which should only bode well for Jeanne Becker's defence of Forgiveness.

(view spoiler)[I was a bit confused when Mark Sakamoto started focussing on his mother towards the end of the book and writing quite a bit about her troubles. I felt it detracted somewhat from the grandparents' stories and was not sure why he chose to include it. However, reading more about her story and particularly Mark Sakamoto's involvement, provided a lot more insight into the author as a person, son and grandson and also the Japanese cultural tradition of 1st born sons taking on responsibility for their parents. Thought the author did a good job of tying it together at the end - just a bit startled at the beginning. (hide spoiler)]

Now that Tara has shared how books are chosen, I can see that this was such a great fit for the author and defender.

I agree, this book was so well-written and really "eye opening" as to what both his grandparents went through - it is horrendous to think of a family living in a chicken coop just because of their Japanese heritage.

Re: your spoiler, I liked the contrast to more recent events and think it would be helpful to others to read about challenges and realities that families are dealing with. Kudos to Sakamoto for sharing 3 difficult stories!

❀ Susan - as mentioned, I too learned a lot from reading about Sakamoto's additional challenge and mentioned this in my spoiler. Was just wondering what others thought about timing and detail. Appreciate your thoughts.

I just finished Forgiveness. I'd peeked at this discussion beforehand and saw the comments about the end, so when I read it, I was trying my best to frame the part about his mother with the theme of the book.

I wonder if the first part of the book, about his grandparents, is about the forgiveness of others, and the second part, about his mum, is about forgiveness of the self. (view spoiler)[ It could also be argued that his mother never forgave herself for failing her own sons as a mother, which never allowed her to get out of alcoholism, framing the future that Mark may have had, had he not decided to forgive himself, allowing him to move out of his depression. (hide spoiler)]

@ Anne - appreciate your thoughts and comments. They make a lot of sense.

I just finished this book.

I am hesitant to say that I feel a little let down, considering the topic. I felt that there was so much potential! A fascinating story, a twist of fate, incredible endurance -- and yes, forgiveness!

But I wish the author had spent more time on the actual forgiveness concept. It comes up at the end in the context of his mother, and through the letter to his grandparents. But all the way through it's never really front and centre. I guess I just expected a different lens considering what the book is based on.

I've chosen not to write a review on the book, which is very rare for me, because it's someone's life and memoir, their real story. Who am I to critique it, especially from my privileged position as a person with nothing near that kind of trauma in my life? But quietly I think maybe in the hands of a different author, this book could have been really incredible.

Looking really forward to seeing it defended in Canada Reads. Lots of work with in concept!

Just finished the book this a.m. and feel emotionally spent. I am humbled by the opportunity, having gained further insight into our country's lesser told history through the sharing of the author's memoir and his familial experiences. These scars remain for generations upon generations. Forgiveness is a process to which this story was a strong and welcomed reminder.

@Wanda, don’t you think this book would make a great book club read? I can see so much potential for discussion. I guess that’s why it’s been chosen for Canada Reads!

@Allison- For sure! I think our older teens and young adults could also benefit from this book as part of their history studies. I had a discussion with my husband and a friend last evening and we all feel robbed of not learning some rather important history of Canada in our high school years. We (my/our generation) were subject to what I feel was the edited or censored version... This book holds the human element to share the truth.

@Wanda - I totally agree. I can't believe how much history that we should have learned in school that I am learning as an adult.

@Allison - this would be an amazing story for book club. I think reading it alongside Obasan would be good also.

I think Forgiveness and The Boat People are a good compliment in terms of their approach to a shameful period in Canadian history. Mark Sakamoto's account is stoic. Sharon Bala's treatment of the same history is more visceral and emotional. Both laudable individual approaches, but taken together they form a powerful impression of the human cost of that particular wave of racism.

I found Forgiveness attempted to be something more than the shameful part of Canadian history.... Sakamoto went off on a tangent at the end about forgiving his mom. I found that felt a little disjointed from the rest of the book. Also, at other times, I felt that the story did kind of a 180 from where it was going.

I find The Boat People is doing a much better job and driving home a similar point. Although I have not finished, I am enjoying The Boat People more.

Mark Sakamoto on the next chapter: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thenextchapte...

I'm only halfway through and am finding it very heavy reading. The cruelty of the human race is completely depressing me. I'm not sure that any of the Canada Reads contenders this year are uplifting. It's all about the oppressed, and the disadvantaged, and the ridiculed. I'm starting to think that I don't want my eyes to be opened if this is what I have to witness.

@Louise - It is so hard to imagine humans treating each other so terribly. I have to admit that the idea of this family living through the winter in a chicken coup and the horrors of the POA camp stick with you but maybe that is the point, to learn from history so it does not happen again, and to learn through strength and resilience there still is happiness and love.

❀ Susan wrote: "@Louise - It is so hard to imagine humans treating each other so terribly. I have to admit that the idea of this family living through the winter in a chicken coup and the horrors of the POA camp s..."

If anything, history shows that war atrocities happen over and over and over again. We do NOT learn from our mistakes. People said we would never allow the holocaust to happen again, yet genocides keep happening in other countries, wars keep happening. Do you think Trump is a step forward??? That aside, I read for enjoyment and I'm not finding it here, not at all, not how the POWs were treated by the Japanese, nor how the Canadians treated Japanese immigrants. There is nothing redeeming so far but I'm only halfway through. I can only read it in small bits.

It's funny because I tend to like dark depressing stuff, but in fiction. When it's real, I have a harder time with it. Just like Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption. I found that one a really tough read too, and wish I hadn't read it.

so true at Louise... I guess I am just the eternal optimist hoping that we will all learn from the past.

I finished it today. I have mixed feelings. As hard as they were to read, I liked the two different stories of his two grandparents but I don't think they really belonged together in a book. It was really two completely different stories that don't really come together. The stories of his parents are completely glossed over so we don't really see the meshing of these two separate families.

The story I would be more interested in, is the story of his mother. Why was she so self-destructive? What happened in her life to make her so? Was it the upbringing she had under a father who had suffered years of atrocities as a POW? That's the dynamic and the link I wish he had explored. Instead of comparing both separate grandparents, why not compare the grandfather who suffered greatly and conquered with the daughter who also suffered greatly but was unable to conquer. But I'm sure the story of his mother is too close and too painful for him. It takes guts to expose your family in a memoir like this and he does a good job. It's a good read, but not great for me.

I read this one quite quickly as I found it an easy read. I have read a lot of WWII stories, so was prepared for the brutality. I found Mitsue's story very interesting, as she was sent to southern Alberta, which is where I grew up. I knew many of the Japanese families who stayed in the area after the war. A number of my classmates and friends were descended from these families. They became successful and prosperous farmers, intermarried with the local population, and, like Mitsue, seemed to have put the war behind them. This book gave me new insight into what these people went through when they first arrived in Alberta. It also gave me new respect for my in-laws, who immigrated from Holland in the 1950's and worked on the sugar beet farms for the first few years they were here.

I did find the writing to be rather awkward and confusing. I felt that the story of his relationship with his mother didn't belong with the stories of his grandparents. I guess he was trying to show that the things he learned from his grandparents helped him deal with the difficulties of his childhood. I felt that the inclusion of this story sort of diminished the suffering of his grandparents.

@Louise, I agree that the book really glossed over the melding between Japanese side and white Canadian side. Suddenly the author was born and dealing with a mother who was falling apart.

But what about the two sides coming together? How did that happen? What were the wrinkles? What actually led to fulsome forgiveness? I feel that was a lost opportunity in the book, and it's the piece I really expected and was looking forward to.

Just finished the book tonight and saved this juicy thread until now!

I loved the book's historical content and story, maybe the writing style needs some improvement (& I found a few typos/ editor mistakes which bugged me) but the story was worth sharing and reading.

At first I was confused like many of you about the final chapters of his mom.... but then when I started to think about it, it's not two stories but three. The grandfather Raphael, Grandma Mitsue & Mark all went throught life changing challenges in their 20s, each had to be uprooted and start over, each dealt with injustice, each had to overcome the anguish and be strong. Mark made it sound like his grandparents were able to forgive their tormentors / situation... but he himself had a harder time forgiving. The third story of Mark can tie the other two up.... except I agree, some of it was trying too hard.

I found some elements so detailed I wonder how did Mark get this info? But in the end he discussed the copious interview process. I was jealous! I wish my grandparents were still alive and I could dig those stories out of them too. So much is lost when we lose this stiff upper lipped generation who preferred to move on and not talk. Sure, silence can be brave and allowed them to "forgive" / "forget" but we lose these epic tales - and that's why we don't know them before now. History class - if we had these lessons - would never capture the humanity of a reselling of a personal experience.

@louise - you asked why was Diane drinking? I did a little family character chart & alcoholism (& mental illness?) seemed to be consistent on the MacLean side (Ralph's father, his brother Ford, his cousin...) so may just be genetically prone .. Mark doesn't come out and SAY that, but it would be a common thread for many families, especially in that generation.

This would make an excellent book club book!

Here is a link to another interview: http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads/h...

This is my last book to read from the short list and it's slow going for me. It hasn't captured my attention at all. I went through a big World War II reading phase so I'm not feeling any "wow" factor. I know the story is true and would never discount the struggles faced by the author's grandparents, but I feel like I've read it all before. It's just not very interesting. Also, the writing style isn't great, which never helps.

Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺ wrote: "This is my last book to read from the short list and it's slow going for me. It hasn't captured my attention at all. I went through a big World War II reading phase so I'm not feeling any "wow" fac..."

I thought the story of his paternal grandfather was the strongest part of what otherwise was an average read for me. It felt the most explored and had more of an impact. I think because of the strength of his grandfather's experience, the writing issues faded a little into the background for me. I hadn't ever read much about Japanese POWs in WWII, so it was relatively new information for me. But it wasn't enough for me to recommend the book to anyone else. Does that make sense?

Yeah, Natasha, I understand completely. It’s along the same lines of how I felt too.

Mark Sakamoto - on his writing space... in his bedroom: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/mark-sakamoto-...

the part about the sony walkman makes me chuckle as my husband still grumbles about his sony walkman which was stolen from his work... more than 20 years ago!!

A few years ago, I bestowed my Sony Discman upon my son and he treats it like a sacred relic!

As announced today on CBC books, Forgiveness is to become a 4 part series on CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/books/adaptation-of...

Anyone know what they mean by a "limited" series?

Oh wow, interesting!

I believe it's the new way of saying, "mini-series." Meaning it is four parts only, and won't continue beyond that.

@Tara - thanks for clearing that up! I am looking forward to watching this 'limited" series. :)