Eyes of the Emperor
Encyclopedia
Eyes of the Emperor is a historical novel
written by Graham Salisbury
, and is currently published by Laurel-Leaf, which is an imprint of Random House Children's Books
, in the United States
in paperback
. The first edition was published in 2005. The first edition was published by Wendy Lamb Books in hardcover
format in the same year.
In 2006, Eyes of the Emperor won the Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Literature.
boy, Eddy, lives. He has a brother, Herbie, and numerous friends. His friends are in the army, and Eddy, who is 16 years old, joins the US army by illegally altering his birth certificate to appear 18 years old. They enlist in Camp McCoy. Eddy's father strongly opposes this as he feels that Eddy is betraying Japan, but soon Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
on December 7, 1941. Eddy and his Japanese company must do manual labor, such as digging trench
es, while the soldiers of other nationalities go on with regular army training. He then is mobilized by Lieutenant
Sweet to Cat Island
, Mississippi
, along with his comrades. They then embark on a secret mission commissioned by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, which is for training dogs: Dogs are trained to smell the Japanese people, and this is training them so that when they are released in the Pacific theater, the dogs would track and kill the Japanese soldiers
. This severely demoralizes the soldiers. Later, when they commute from the island to the mainland, their boat motor stalls. When they call for assistance, the US Coast Guard comes and shoots the boat, suspecting that they were the enemy. Accidental attacks continue, and the treatment of the Japanese-American soldiers becomes worse as the war
worsens. Eddy is nearly killed once when his dog's trainer, Smith, calls the dog back slightly late. The soldiers are forced to treat the dogs harshly, which is against their will.
After a few weeks of grueling treatment of the Japanese, the government observes and evaluates this project. It is deemed unsuccessful, and Eddy now is assigned to combat in the European theater.
of the book. He lives in Hawaii, and is a Japanese boy native to America. He is 16 years old at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor
. Eddy is more loyal to the United States
than his home country, Japan
. His fathers name is Koji Okubo.
Pop: Eddy's father. He was strongly opposed to Eddy joining the US army, but after the Pearl Harbor attack he favors Eddy's decision. Pop is a boat-builder. He was loyal to Japan, but after the attack his loyalty changed, and he turned himself in to the immigration office for shame of his country.
Major Parrish who is very smart and was promoted as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army
Chik-Usually has 2-3 girlfriends at a time
Cobra- He is very strong and muscular
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
written by Graham Salisbury
Graham Salisbury
Graham Salisbury is an American author. He has written many books including Under the Blood Red Sun, his most famous novel. He lives with his family in Lake Oswego, Oregon....
, and is currently published by Laurel-Leaf, which is an imprint of Random House Children's Books
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
. The first edition was published in 2005. The first edition was published by Wendy Lamb Books in hardcover
Hardcover
A hardcover, hardback or hardbound is a book bound with rigid protective covers...
format in the same year.
In 2006, Eyes of the Emperor won the Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Literature.
Plot summary
The story starts in Honolulu in 1941, where a JapaneseJapanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
boy, Eddy, lives. He has a brother, Herbie, and numerous friends. His friends are in the army, and Eddy, who is 16 years old, joins the US army by illegally altering his birth certificate to appear 18 years old. They enlist in Camp McCoy. Eddy's father strongly opposes this as he feels that Eddy is betraying Japan, but soon Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on December 7, 1941. Eddy and his Japanese company must do manual labor, such as digging trench
Trench
A trench is a type of excavation or depression in the ground. Trenches are generally defined by being deeper than they are wide , and by being narrow compared to their length ....
es, while the soldiers of other nationalities go on with regular army training. He then is mobilized by Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Sweet to Cat Island
Cat Island (Mississippi)
Cat Island is a barrier island off the Gulf Coast of the United States. The island is named for raccoons which Spanish explorers mistook for cats. It is unknown who discovered Cat Island. It was called Isle-aux-Chats and Isola de Gati in French and Italian, respectively. It is within the...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, along with his comrades. They then embark on a secret mission commissioned by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, which is for training dogs: Dogs are trained to smell the Japanese people, and this is training them so that when they are released in the Pacific theater, the dogs would track and kill the Japanese soldiers
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
. This severely demoralizes the soldiers. Later, when they commute from the island to the mainland, their boat motor stalls. When they call for assistance, the US Coast Guard comes and shoots the boat, suspecting that they were the enemy. Accidental attacks continue, and the treatment of the Japanese-American soldiers becomes worse as the war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
worsens. Eddy is nearly killed once when his dog's trainer, Smith, calls the dog back slightly late. The soldiers are forced to treat the dogs harshly, which is against their will.
After a few weeks of grueling treatment of the Japanese, the government observes and evaluates this project. It is deemed unsuccessful, and Eddy now is assigned to combat in the European theater.
Characters
Eddy Okubo: The protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the book. He lives in Hawaii, and is a Japanese boy native to America. He is 16 years old at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
. Eddy is more loyal to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
than his home country, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. His fathers name is Koji Okubo.
Pop: Eddy's father. He was strongly opposed to Eddy joining the US army, but after the Pearl Harbor attack he favors Eddy's decision. Pop is a boat-builder. He was loyal to Japan, but after the attack his loyalty changed, and he turned himself in to the immigration office for shame of his country.
Major Parrish who is very smart and was promoted as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army
Chik-Usually has 2-3 girlfriends at a time
Cobra- He is very strong and muscular
See also
- Under the Blood Red SunUnder the Blood Red SunUnder the Blood Red Sun is a Scott O'Dell Award-winning historical novel by Graham Salisbury, published in 1994. It details the life of Tomi, a Japanese-American boy, and his family during World War II, when Americans of Japanese descent were being sent to internment camps. Tomi lives in Hawaii,...
, an earlier novel about Japan, Hawaii, and World War II by Graham Salisbury. Eddy and Herbie both briefly appear in it, although Eddy's name was not mentioned.