The story of what happened to a community of Japanese Canadians in Vancouver in 1941 is a story every Canadian should hear. It's told from the voice of 9 year old Kenny, whose family is all about baseball. When essential things like freedom started to be taken away from them, I got a sick feeling, and eventually became appalled, because in my lifetime I can't imagine that this occurred. The fact that many boys and men formed Asahi baseball teams in their camps shows their strength of character in such devastating circumstances.
This is a sensitive topic for sure, the way Japanese Canadians were treated in WWII, after Pearl Harbor, and is part of Canada's shameful past. I was very glad to read Heart of a Champion, and I will be sharing this book with young readers and encourage they pass it around to friends. Although for YA readers, Heart of a Champion is for everyone.
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway, also not realizing it's for YA's.