November's book selection is Stubborn Twig: Three Generations in the Life of a Japanese Family by Lauren Kessler.
Book description:
This novel follows three generations of a Japanese American family, the Yasuis, as they live in Oregon. As the Yasuis strive to forge American identities while retaining their ties to Japan, they grapple with America’s shifting climate of racism and xenophobia, influenced by the two World Wars and changes in American rhetoric about “outsiders.” They struggle to make sense of the chaos of these political moments from the invasions of Japan to the atrocities of lynching and concentration camps, to the specters of slavery and systemic injustice. Through it all, the Yasuis hold on to their dignity, coming to deeply appreciate America’s land, the citizenry, and founding principles, even when the latter are mismatched by America’s reality.