“Sylvia and
Aki” by Winifred Conkling is the true story of two American girls of different
cultural backgrounds who grew up in the 1940s in the United States of America.
The
narrative is attuned to their joys, fears, dreams and loving families, and it reveals
how their happy childhoods were disrupted by the evils of segregation, discrimination
and social injustice. Unexpected challenges and hardship threatened the
well-being of their families and their future.
There is an afterword
that gleans relevant historical facts and relates them to the lives of the
characters. We can learn a lot from history; literature offers us unique
opportunities to do so.
I highly recommend “Sylvia and Aki”. It is a book that
invites us to honor friendship, learn about history and spend quality time with
our children.
