Rating: 
Summary: I read this book because she shares my last name ...
Review: but is no relation. And found I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. There are many mentions in the customer reviews about it being middle school or young adolescent lit, so I was a little leery. And it is in a way, because the episodes in her life are just presented the way she remembered them. There is no tying it back to a larger political idea, no closure of narrative like one expect in an adult novel, and often "characters" in her story walk away never to be seen from or heard from again. So, in that way, if you are expecting an adult account with deep reflections, ramifications both political and social, and prescriptions and condemnations, then you need to read another book. But Higa's account was refreshing in that way that children are. She presents everything without guile or over-analysis. You feel the visceral experience with her as she climbs over the wasteland that her country becomes. She never sugar-coats anything because there is no need to when just presented factually. You feel her need, understand her young judgements, and are just charmed by her plucky character. In today's multicultural educational system, this book would be a good addition to any history of WWII.
Rating:
Summary: I read this book because she shares my last name ...
Review: but is no relation. And found I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. There are many mentions in the customer reviews about it being middle school or young adolescent lit, so I was a little leery. And it is in a way, because the episodes in her life are just presented the way she remembered them. There is no tying it back to a larger political idea, no closure of narrative like one expect in an adult novel, and often "characters" in her story walk away never to be seen from or heard from again. So, in that way, if you are expecting an adult account with deep reflections, ramifications both political and social, and prescriptions and condemnations, then you need to read another book. But Higa's account was refreshing in that way that children are. She presents everything without guile or over-analysis. You feel the visceral experience with her as she climbs over the wasteland that her country becomes. She never sugar-coats anything because there is no need to when just presented factually. You feel her need, understand her young judgements, and are just charmed by her plucky character. In today's multicultural educational system, this book would be a good addition to any history of WWII.
Rating: 
Summary: A Gripping Tale of Survival
Review: How a young girl of 7 years can survive on her own on the battlefields of war-torn Okinawa, 1945, is absolutely astonishing. As a history teacher in Okinawa, Japan, I have run accross a wide array of materials concerning the Battle of Okinawa, but no other book so vividly details the human side of the struggle from the viewpoint of civilian Okinawans. This is a heart-warming story of triumph in the midst of great tragedy. I often encourage my students to place themselves in the "shoes" of those whom we are studying, to go beyond just facts and figures and identify with the real people who experienced history. Tomiko Higa takes the reader directly to the Battle of Okinawa through the eyes of a child.
Rating:
Summary: Very interesting but sad and true story.
Review: How the author survived the battle for Okinawa when much of the island was destroyed. Very good story that should be read by everybody who is interested in Okinawa.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book
Review: I read this book when I was about 11 years old, and the thought of a young child surviving on her own was baffling. If I were her, I'd have probably given up already. I lived in Okinawa for half of my life, and it's a beautiful island. The book, describes it and her life in very good detail, as a child. But, yes, it should be rated a PG-13 because if you are reading it, you could imagine graphic details on the dead soldiers, falling off the cliff.. and so on. It's a very touching story in the eyes of a child. If you just love reading books, or love true stories that will touch you deeply then this is a must for you. Buy this book, you won't regret it! It's a keepsake.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring to anyone who reads this amazing survival story
Review: I was living on Okinawa when I first read the story. Ms. Higa still lives there and carries on her life as though something so phenomenal had not happened to her. But in many ways it is the story of all those brave and wonderful people of Okinawa and the Ruyuku Islands who were caught between the Japanese and the US during those fateful 12 weeks beginning on April 1, 1945. I have thought of Higa-san often since reading the book and loaned my copy to those I know who came to face unbearable odds. She is a remarkable survivor.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring to anyone who reads this amazing survival story
Review: I was living on Okinawa when I first read the story. Ms. Higa still lives there and carries on her life as though something so phenomenal had not happened to her. But in many ways it is the story of all those brave and wonderful people of Okinawa and the Ruyuku Islands who were caught between the Japanese and the US during those fateful 12 weeks beginning on April 1, 1945. I have thought of Higa-san often since reading the book and loaned my copy to those I know who came to face unbearable odds. She is a remarkable survivor.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful, but NOT for children!!
Review: If it were a movie, I'd rate it PG-13. I'm sorry to see it in the Children's section at Amazon. I own and LOVE this remarkable, incredible biography of a child's courageous survival under terrible cicumstances (WWII), but it is not for children!!! It begins with some harsh punishment by the author's father, and there are several intimate descriptions of death and dying (including murder-suicides), decomposing corpses, maggot infestation, a near-death chase by a crazed soldier... These are not images for children to dwell on. Thankfully there are a few loving and kind events in this narrative too, but overall a very sad story. Good read on the devastations of war. I truly wish the author well.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ.
Review: NO ONE EVER BELIVES THAT 7-YEAR OLDS CAN LIVE BY THEMSELVES BUT TOMIKO HIGA DID! I HAVE JUST FINISHED READING THIS BOOK AND COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN!
Rating:
Summary: Just a great book
Review: See one of the bloodiest battles of WWII through the eyes of a 7 year old. Remarkable, touching story of survival.
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