Beneath the Wide Silk Sky, The Blood Years, & Only This Beautiful Moment: Unforgettable YA Historical Fiction

I’ve been a huge fan of historical fiction since my teenaged years. And trust me, there have been a whole lot of years (and novels) between then and now! Back then, it wasn’t as popular for YA, so I eagerly trolled the adult shelves. By age 18, I had devoured Hawaii by James Michener and Dynasty by Robert S. Elegant: for me, historical events, places, and individuals are enlivened by fictional storylines and characters. After reading a piece of historical fiction, I’m often inspired to research what really occurred, as I did with these recently published YA novels. Beneath the Wide Silk Sky, The Blood Years, and Only This Beautiful Moment are beautifully written, incredibly compelling, and deeply revealing, and I guarantee, absolutely unforgettable. Before sharing my reviews, I ask you to ponder this famous Winston Churchill quote: “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

Beneath the Wide Silk Sky
by Debut Author Emily Inouye Huey

This novel is set on Linley Island (off Washington State), and begins before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, when many white Americans in the community are already deeply prejudiced against anyone who looks Japanese due to widespread news about Japan’s aggressions. 16-year-old Sam (Samantha) Sakimoto, with elegant narration and careful observations, dreams of submitting a photograph to a contest whose cash prize could make all the difference between owning the family farm or losing it to the greedy clutches of the most powerful and dangerous man in town. The beautifully drawn setting details, the horrifying treatment of the Japanese-Americans (especially after Pearl Harbor), and the wide-ranging cast of characters make this historical novel one I will never, ever forget. I stayed up way past my bedtime feverishly turning pages, worried about the safety of Sam, her family, and neighbors as bullies are emboldened by the U.S. Government’s declaration that all Japanese are enemies. I was deeply affected by what the author wrote in her afterward: “I chose to write about the time before the internment because in a way we’re always at a point before injustice. The question of how we will act, and of how we will define our society, is always before us.”

Only 14 when antisemitism reaches a fever pitch in her previously tolerant and lovely city of Czernowitz, Romania, Rieke (based upon the author’s grandmother) is shielded from the extent of the threat by her strong and protective grandfather, the rock and provider for Rieke, Astra, and their stunningly incapable mother. Rieke is just an innocent little girl taking dance lessons at the start of the novel, when her father’s abandonment and her sister’s promiscuity seem like the worse things imaginable. But when Russians invade during WWII, they don’t distinguish between commoners and food becomes dangerously scarce. Unimaginably, life worsens when the violently antisemitic Germans roll in and delight in torturing innocent Jewish victims before murdering them. At one time, Czernowitz was considered a haven for Jews: following this despicable chapter in history, I would be shocked if a single Jew remains in all of Romania. I would love to learn what happened to Rieke after this story ends, if Elena K. Arnold is willing to write it!

This unique and eye-opening novel covers three generations of men within the Jafarzadeh family, spanning between Los Angeles and Tehran, Iran and focusing on pivotal times in their adult development amidst great challenges. In 1939, Bobby has been groomed by his overbearing stage mother to become a star, and soon after signing to a MGM studio contact, he discovers the young man he secretly loves is being “repatriated” with his family back to Mexico. His homosexuality now revealed, he’s set up in a despicable “sting” operation by an undercover agent and jailed. Once freed but knowing he has a target on his back, Bobby flees to Tehran to live with the father he only just learned about. Skipping to 1978, his son Saeed, an Engineering student, participates in protests against the Shah’s regime and winds up on a political watchlist. He, in turn, flees to Los Angeles to finish his schooling at UCLA and live with the grandmother HE never knew about. The third generation in this family is Moud, short for Mahmoud, who is free to be in a gay relationship but believes his father doesn’t approve. The three generations come together in Tehran, a truly repressive regime under the Ayatollah Khomeini, allowing Moud to learn about his rich family history, the hidden Iranian counter culture, and the amazing mother who died when he was only 4 years old.

Each of these novels is equally suitable for teens and adults, and I hope my reviews have enticed you to check them out!!