Four-Four-Two
Publisher
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication Year
2017
ISBN
9781481462532
Pages
288 pages
Genre
realism
Format
novel
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
From the author of Soldier Boys and Search and Destroy comes a thought-provoking, action-packed story based on the little-known history of the Japanese Americans who fought with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II. Yuki Nakahara is an American. But it's the start of World War II, and America doesn't see it that way. Like many other Japanese Americans, Yuki and his family have been forced into an internment camp in the Utah desert. But Yuki isn't willing to sit back and accept this injustice-it's his country too, and he's going to prove it by enlisting in the army to fight for the Allies. When Yuki and his friend Shig ship out, they aren't prepared for the experiences they'll encounter as members of the "Four-Four-Two," a segregated regiment made up entirely of Japanese-American soldiers. Before Yuki returns home-if he returns home-he'll come face to face with persistent prejudices, grueling combat he never imagined, and friendships deeper than he knew possible.
Grade Level
6-8
Diversity Topics
Family Relationships; Racial Diversity; Military families; Incarceration; Race discrimination; son in military; father in prison; racism; racial prejudice
Main Character
boy
Race/Ethnicities
Japanese American
Family Formation
mother and father
Awards
Cybils Awards, 2017, Nominee, Middle Grade Fiction
Keywords
World War II; soldiers; internment camps; combat; war; army; friendship
Diversity Impact
direct
STARS Citation
Hughes, Dean, "Four-Four-Two" (2017). Diverse Families. 1166.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/1166