In the Eye of War - Hardcover

The "eye of war" is analogous to the eye of a hurricane: the quiet spot in the middle. In this case, it is the fairly quiet final year of the Japanese occupation of Shanghai as experienced by a middle-class Chinese boy. Shao-shao, just turning 10, resents and fears his aloof and severe father, who is somehow connected with the resistance. Shao-shao is also drawn to his neighbor Li-sha, a sweet, shy girl, universally shunned because her parents are collaborating with the Japanese. The book, although not without action, is largely a mood piece, evoking a sense of time and place with the loving details a young boy would notice and appreciate. However, transcending time and place is Shao-shao's tenuous relationship with his father, which will be all too familiar to many boys. The subplot concerning Li-sha and Shao-shao's confused sense of loyalty is adequately handled. Occasionally there seem to be allusions to episodes that are not in the book. On balance though, this is a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a typical boy in unusual circumstances.
- John Philbrook, San Francisco Pub . Lib .
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Based on Raymond Chang's childhood in Japanese-occupied Shanghai during WW II, this first novel focuses on Shao-Shao, a 10-year-old Chinese boy. His father is working with the resistance against the Japanese, which imperils the family yet provides a source of black-market goods. Even with the war raging, Shao-Shao leads a somewhat normal life: he goes to school, flies his kite and is coddled by his nurse. But some difficulties prevail: the boy wants to be friends with Li-Sha, but since her father is collaborating with the Japanese, he is not supposed to talk with her. And because of his wartime concerns, Shao-Shao's father is even more distant and harder to please than usual. While as a work of character development the Changs' story is somewhat lacking--the boy's problems are never resolved--they nevertheless present a riveting exploration of a time and place now gone. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.