Review of Wonks
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Leia Schramm
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Review of Wonks
[Following is a volunteer review of "Wonks" by William Reese Hamilton.]
Wonks, by William Reese Hamilton, was an eye-opening story about what life was like for many families that were trapped in Japanese internment camps during World War II. It focuses on a young boy named Johnny Oldfield, who is imprisoned in a Japanese-controlled internment camp in the Philippines along with his mother, Ruth. The story is told from Johnny’s perspective and follows his daily life in the camp, depicting how the people there were given very little food, little to no privacy, and no contact to their loved ones outside the walls of the camp. Despite being shut off from the outside world, his father included, Johnny tries to stay positive. He does this by learning how to box from Southy, starting an ongoing marble game with the other young boys in the camp, and making close friends with people he may not have otherwise associated with, such as Polecat. Overall, Wonks depicts a unique perspective from the World War II era that I do not think is talked about enough. It really showed how the war impacted everybody from all different walks of life.
One thing I liked about this book was that the author was able to create such clear imagery without the sentences getting bogged down by too many descriptive words. Hamilton’s use of vivid language made me feel like I was part of the story and I could picture certain events very clearly - specifically in the instances when Harry Barnes would regale the people of the camp with his stories of where he had been before landing in the internment camp. I also liked how each of the characters had such unique and complex backstories. It really helped create a colorful and diverse group of people that I could empathize with and relate to.
While the language used by the author made for a very pleasant read overall, I found Wonks as a whole to be very slow-moving. The plot was often unclear at times, as the lives of Johnny and the people in the camp tended to be monotonous and unchanging. Although over time, Johnny met more people and grew in relationships with them, not much else went on - especially in the entire first half of the book. In regards to this, I enjoyed this story every time I picked it up to read, however, nothing about it really hooked me and made me excited to read more.
I would rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed the story and found William Reese Hamilton to be a very skilled author, however, the story itself never truly hooked me. I feel like the story just lacked excitement, so I deducted 1 star.
I recommend this book to people who love reading historical fiction. People who are interested in the World War II era would also enjoy this book, as it gives a unique perspective from that time period that is not widely known or discussed.
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Wonks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Wonks, by William Reese Hamilton, was an eye-opening story about what life was like for many families that were trapped in Japanese internment camps during World War II. It focuses on a young boy named Johnny Oldfield, who is imprisoned in a Japanese-controlled internment camp in the Philippines along with his mother, Ruth. The story is told from Johnny’s perspective and follows his daily life in the camp, depicting how the people there were given very little food, little to no privacy, and no contact to their loved ones outside the walls of the camp. Despite being shut off from the outside world, his father included, Johnny tries to stay positive. He does this by learning how to box from Southy, starting an ongoing marble game with the other young boys in the camp, and making close friends with people he may not have otherwise associated with, such as Polecat. Overall, Wonks depicts a unique perspective from the World War II era that I do not think is talked about enough. It really showed how the war impacted everybody from all different walks of life.
One thing I liked about this book was that the author was able to create such clear imagery without the sentences getting bogged down by too many descriptive words. Hamilton’s use of vivid language made me feel like I was part of the story and I could picture certain events very clearly - specifically in the instances when Harry Barnes would regale the people of the camp with his stories of where he had been before landing in the internment camp. I also liked how each of the characters had such unique and complex backstories. It really helped create a colorful and diverse group of people that I could empathize with and relate to.
While the language used by the author made for a very pleasant read overall, I found Wonks as a whole to be very slow-moving. The plot was often unclear at times, as the lives of Johnny and the people in the camp tended to be monotonous and unchanging. Although over time, Johnny met more people and grew in relationships with them, not much else went on - especially in the entire first half of the book. In regards to this, I enjoyed this story every time I picked it up to read, however, nothing about it really hooked me and made me excited to read more.
I would rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed the story and found William Reese Hamilton to be a very skilled author, however, the story itself never truly hooked me. I feel like the story just lacked excitement, so I deducted 1 star.
I recommend this book to people who love reading historical fiction. People who are interested in the World War II era would also enjoy this book, as it gives a unique perspective from that time period that is not widely known or discussed.
******
Wonks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Orcas Forever by Marie-Paule Mahoney
