The Legend of Fire Horse Woman

You may have read Farewell to Manzanar in school, as it's a well-known historical account of a Japanese-American family interned during World War II. Author Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston wrote the account in the '70s with her husband James Houston, but now, three decades later, she has come out with a novel of her own. The Legend of Fire Horse Woman is a story about three women: "survivors" who have lived through everything from oppressive husbands, to prostitution, to unrequited love. Houston tells their stories, in an account that spans several generations.

About half of the book concerns Sayo, a picture bride brought from Japan at the turn of the century. The rest of the novel takes place in an internment camp during World War II. As my own grandparents were detained in Manzanar, I thought I had heard most of the stories about "camp," but Houston tells me some stories I haven't heard before. I knew about the baseball games and mess halls, but I didn't know who started the riot one night, or which guard tower was being manned by a cute soldier. Houston tells stories that are exciting and detailed enough for me to care about the characters.

Another unique aspect of the novel was a correlation between the Native American and the Japanese American--both races displaced in their homeland. Some may not consider the similarities, but Houston finds many and expresses them in an imaginative way.

The problem with being so artistic with her language, however, is that a lot of things get glossed over, resulting in melodrama. Love scenes seem brushed over and unsatisfying, and often the narrator resorts to hokey lines such as, "Is she brave enough to unleash emotions she has caged for so many years?"

The Legend of Fire Horse Woman is recommended to those who like poetry, or any fellow ninja chicks who feel the need for a fix of empowerment. It's a good read, but it's no action movie.

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