3 out of 4 stars
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American River: Currents Book Two of the America River Trilogy by Mallory M. O’Connor is the second book in the American River Trilogy series. This book once again unites three interwoven families. Owen McPhalan, his ex-wife Marian and their two children, Kate and Alexandria are the first family. Kate is married to Carl Fitzgerald, whose father is Jorge Morales. The second family encompasses Jorge and Rose Morales with their three children: Carl Fitzgerald, Silvio, and Allison. The third family is David and Connie Ashida, their son Tommy and Tommy’s wife Emiko, who is an immigrant of Japan. Taking place where book one left off, these familial groups come together once more as they navigate the tumultuous times spanning between January 1963 to May 1970. From women’s liberation, the Vietnam War and the Kennedy assassinations, even migrant rights championed by Cesar Chavez, this book covers many of the topics that were prevalent during these transitional times. The United States was creating a new world of sorts, much like we were at the inception of our country. As in the first book the author tackles issues related to race relations which continue throughout the story.
A source of internal and external conflict takes place between Jorge and Owen regarding migrant rights. Under the Bracero program of 1942, workers from Mexico obtained work visas for American farms when there was a labor shortage due to World War II. The program guaranteed migrants fixed wages and safe working conditions. A stipulation of the program stated that the braceros could not be utilized to replace U.S. workers who were on strike. In reality, the landowners neglected the regulations to decrease their expenses to the detriment of the workers. As a ranch owner, Owen understands the needs of the landowners to keep costs low. At the same time, he disagrees with the use of migrant workers to replace American labor. Conversely, Jorge is an advocate for migrant rights, having been a migrant farmworker himself. Championing the cause is Cesar Chavez, who becomes a powerful force on the side of the farmworkers in favor of fair labor and safe working conditions.
The author also speaks to the evolving role of women’s liberation during the 1960s. Women were becoming more vocal about their role in society and in their marriages, seeking education and employment. For instance, Kate McPhalan gets a master’s degree and desires outside employment, which creates conflict within her relationship with Carl. Some women were more pleased with traditional female roles. In the case of Emiko, she would prefer the role of the traditional Japanese homemaker as this is a position of pride in the Japanese culture, but Tommy wants her to expand her horizons outside of the home. Kyoiku mama means “education mother” in Japanese. Well-regarded in Japan, the education mother is responsible for overseeing the children’s education. The fact that Emiko cannot have children is problematic since she is unable to fulfill the traditional role of housewife and a mother. Furthermore, two of the supporting characters have less prominent roles in their marriages thereby allowing their husbands to dictate the conditions of their relationships and creating an unbalanced dichotomy. The female characters of the book run the spectrum of women’s liberation and the choices that are available to them.
The Vietnam War plays a dominant role in the book creating conflict amongst several of the characters. For instance, Allison takes up the position of protesting against the war, while her brother Silvio feels that it is his duty to serve the country, albeit reluctantly. The threat of the draft is a prevalent undercurrent for some of the male characters and the overarching tension of the war creates a stressful environment for the interactions between many of them. During some of the exchanges, the individuals come to violent contention because of their different opinions about the war itself, which symbolizes how the country was feeling about the Vietnam War at this time. The country clashed over the role of the United States in the Vietnam War and families across the country were experiencing turmoil over that conflict. As the generation that fought in World War II felt a nostalgia for their days in uniform serving the country they loved and performing a civic duty, the younger people took up picket signs and staged protests seeing the war as killing innocent people for a gratuitous cause.
This book is an excellent portrayal of the power of community. Achieving improvement in the 1950s for better rights among all citizens, further progress needed to take place throughout the dominant population regarding the rights of migrants and women. The early 1960s into the 1970s culminated that time. It created an environment in which women felt empowered to advocate for themselves as demonstrated by the female characters of this book. Additionally, the juxtaposition of the fictional characters with historical figures brought the events to life. For instance, migrant workers felt they had a voice evidenced by Cesar Chavez’s actions while students and young people were making themselves known regarding their objection to the war. In the past, it was the view of the mainstream culture that young people would serve their country willingly and without question. While individuals were being drafted, conscientious objectors were making their platforms known that the killings of innocent Vietnamese citizens and their fellow Americans was intolerable.
I enjoyed this book very much. Having read the first book in the trilogy, it was gratifying to discover the continuation of the characters. I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. The primary issue I observed was the lack of editing. There were numerous misspelled words and grammatical errors throughout the story. The most common discrepancies stem on the lack of open and closed quotation marks on statements and misspelled words. The other issue that I noted was that two of the characters’ names changed in the middle of a paragraph. Despite the errors, I still recommend this book as it as an excellent portrayal about a pivotal time in history told from the perspective of three unique families.
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American River: Currents
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