Silent Honor
by Danielle Steel
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From #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel, a moving novel of families separated and lives shattered by prejudice during one of the most shameful episodes in American history.A man ahead of his time, Japanese college professor Masao Takashimaya of Kyoto had a passion for modern ideas that was as strong as his wife’s belief in ancient traditions. His eighteen-year-old daughter, Hiroko, torn between her mother’s traditions and her father’s wishes, boarded the SS Nagoya show more Maru to come to California for an education and to make her father proud. It was August 1941.
From the ship, she went to the Palo Alto home of her uncle, Takeo, and his family. To Hiroko, California was a different world. Her cousins had become more American than Japanese. And much to Hiroko’s surprise, Peter Jenkins, her uncle’s assistant at Stanford, became an unexpected link between her old world and her new.
On December 7, Pearl Harbor is bombed by the Japanese. Within hours, war is declared and suddenly Hiroko has become an enemy in a foreign land.
On February 19, Executive Order 9066 is signed by President Roosevelt, giving the military the power to remove the Japanese from their communities at will. Takeo and his family are given ten days to sell their home, give up their jobs, and report to a relocation center, along with thousands of other Japanese and Japanese Americans, to face their destinies there. Families are divided, people are forced to abandon their homes, their businesses, their freedom, and their lives.
Danielle Steel portrays not only the human cost of that terrible time in history, but also the remarkable courage of a people whose honor and dignity transcended the chaos that surrounded them. Silent Honor reveals the stark truth about the betrayal of Americans by their own government . . . and the triumph of a woman caught between cultures and determined to survive. show less
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I got this book for free at a Library book folding class. It’s a story of a Japanese family from Palo Alto who are forced into the internment camp system. I knew it would be fairly lame romance novel trash, but in the Trumpian age of Alligator Alcatraz, I wanted to remember why I think it is wrong for the United States to treat people this way.
George Takei is still alive to remember what it was like. I am ashamed.
George Takei is still alive to remember what it was like. I am ashamed.
I have a lot of respect for Danielle Steel both in terms of her longevity and her ability to write prolifically, and in her willingness to be inclusive in her work. As a Bay Area-based author, she really reflects this community and all who live here, more than others in her romance genre peer group. She's a grand lady.
One of the many aspects about Steel I respect is her ability to use her books to uncover prejudice and suspicion around religion, ethnicity, health issues (like AIDS, substance abuse and cancer), or alternate lifestyles. She handles these subjects with a generosity of heart and spirit which speak volumes about her as a human being.
This novel, Silent Honor, takes the reader to Japan and the Bay Area before WWII, following a show more teen aged Japanese girl, Hiroko, who has come to the United States for her first year of college. Steel does a masterful job in exposing the awful conditions imposed on the Japanese in the Bay Area as WWII broke out, then follows them to Tanforan Race Track as the Internment begins, then Tule Lake as the war ended. I believe this is one of her best works.
Although Steel sometimes spends a lot of text space explaining her characters, in this novel she allows them to tell their own stories seamlessly. It is really a gem. show less
One of the many aspects about Steel I respect is her ability to use her books to uncover prejudice and suspicion around religion, ethnicity, health issues (like AIDS, substance abuse and cancer), or alternate lifestyles. She handles these subjects with a generosity of heart and spirit which speak volumes about her as a human being.
This novel, Silent Honor, takes the reader to Japan and the Bay Area before WWII, following a show more teen aged Japanese girl, Hiroko, who has come to the United States for her first year of college. Steel does a masterful job in exposing the awful conditions imposed on the Japanese in the Bay Area as WWII broke out, then follows them to Tanforan Race Track as the Internment begins, then Tule Lake as the war ended. I believe this is one of her best works.
Although Steel sometimes spends a lot of text space explaining her characters, in this novel she allows them to tell their own stories seamlessly. It is really a gem. show less
Wow! I read a lot of Danielle Steele and at first I liked the book. But then the story digressed. Hiroko seemed like the stereotypical Japanese girl who was bound by tradition with all of the bowing and placement of "san" after peoples names. This star character did not have a mind of her own. She's the first Steele character that I hated.
It saddened me that the author had Peter having so much sex with Hiroko out in a muddy, dirt field right after Hiroshima. Peter, a white man to me was extremely disrespectful to want to have wanton sex with a 19 year old; (he was in his late 20's.) right after she had been discriminated against at St. Andrews; she lost her home, dignity and material possessions. Had this been one of Danielle Steele's show more white characters they would have been impugned by having sex in such a heinous living environment.
At the end when Hiroko goes home and finds her family have been bombed; I was hoping the last person she'd see was Peter; and, of course there he was. Not a good book. Liked the first few pages and then hated it after that. show less
It saddened me that the author had Peter having so much sex with Hiroko out in a muddy, dirt field right after Hiroshima. Peter, a white man to me was extremely disrespectful to want to have wanton sex with a 19 year old; (he was in his late 20's.) right after she had been discriminated against at St. Andrews; she lost her home, dignity and material possessions. Had this been one of Danielle Steele's show more white characters they would have been impugned by having sex in such a heinous living environment.
At the end when Hiroko goes home and finds her family have been bombed; I was hoping the last person she'd see was Peter; and, of course there he was. Not a good book. Liked the first few pages and then hated it after that. show less
Another treasure found at the Friends of the Library semi-annual book sale! I've read several of Ms. Steel's novels, and "Silent Honor", ranks as one of my favorites. From the first page to the last page, I found myself swept up in the lives of the characters depicted in this novel. This historical fiction gives the reader great insight into the lives of Japanese Americans during World War II. Ms. Steel did a wonderful job of creating a believable novel with strong characters and well described settings. This is a novel that will have the reader thinking about this story, long after it's finished being read. If you're looking for an older, fictional, published novel, I would highly recommend this one.
It has been years since I read a Danielle Steel book but my neighbor recommended this book to me so I decided to give it a try. It took me about 125 pages to get into the story but once I did I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had no idea how the Japanese people living in this country were treated or those of Japanese descent that were born in the U.S. It was very interesting and sad. I thought the ending was rushed a bit and that more detail could have been given on what else had happened to some of the characters. Overall, this is a very good book.
Danielle Steel, such a good story spinner. I won't say much for her way of writing as I find it repetitive, however no one can top her with her genius in the art of story telling.
Excellent portrayal of the injustices suffered by the American Japanese during WWII.
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299+ Works 105,094 Members
Danielle Steel was born in New York City on August 14, 1947. She studied literature, design, and fashion design - first at Parsons School of Design and later at New York University. Her first novel, Going Home, was published in 1972. Her other books include The House on Hope Street, The Wedding, Irresistible Forces, Granny Dan, Bittersweet, Mirror show more Image, The Klone and I, The Long Road Home, The Ghost, Special Delivery, The Ranch, His Bright Light, Southern Lights, Blue, Country, The Apartment, Property of a Noble Woman, The Mistress, Dangerous Games, Against All Odds, The Duchess, Fairytale, Fall From Grace, The Cast, The Good Fight, and Turning Point. A number of her novels have made major bestseller lists and have also been adapted into TV movies or miniseries. She also writes children's books including the Max and Martha series. In 2002, she was decorated by the French government as an Officer of the Order des Arts et des Letters for her contributions to world culture. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Stiller Ruhm
- Original title
- Silent honor
- Original publication date
- 1996-11
- People/Characters*
- Hiroko
- Dedication
- Für Kumiko, eine bemerkenswerte Frau, die es erlebte.
Und für Sammie, der daran dachte und den ich sehr liebe.
Mit all meiner Liebe,
D.S.
To Kumiko, who has lived it, and is a remarkable lady.
And to Sammie, who thought of it, and is very special, and whom I love dearly
With all my love.
... (show all) d.s. - First words
- Fünf Jahre lang hatte Masao Takashimayas Familie eine passende Braut für ihn gesucht, seit seinem einundzwanzigsten Geburtstag.
Masao Takashimaya's family had searched for five years for a suitable bride for him, ever since his twenty-first birthday. - Last words*
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Behutsam schloss sie die shojis.
- Original language*
- Amerikanisch
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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