Go - by Kazuki Kaneshiro (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

A Freeman Award Winner for Young Adult Literature

For two teens, falling in love is going to make a world of difference in this beautifully translated, bold, and endearing novel about love, loss, and the pain of racial discrimination.

As a Korean student in a Japanese high school, Sugihara has had to defend himself against all kinds of bullies. But nothing could have prepared him for the heartache he feels when he falls hopelessly in love with a Japanese girl named Sakurai. Immersed in their shared love for classical music and foreign movies, the two gradually grow closer and closer.

One night, after being hit by personal tragedy, Sugihara reveals to Sakurai that he is not Japanese--as his name might indicate.

Torn between a chance at self-discovery that he's ready to seize and the prejudices of others that he can't control, Sugihara must decide who he wants to be and where he wants to go next. Will Sakurai be able to confront her own bias and accompany him on his journey?

Review Quotes

"Kaneshiro integrates themes of ethnic heritage, prejudice, identity, and belonging into Sugihara's relationships with his parents, friends, and girlfriend (from whom he withholds his given name, Lee, for fear of losing her). The witty, sarcastic narrative voice conveys great poignancy, as when Sugihara confesses his true ethnicity and hears: 'Silence. Silence. Silence. Silence.' A memorable, conflicted, defiant protagonist and an idiosyncratic love story drive this thought-provoking page-turner." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Takami Nieda provides gratifying anglophone access to Kaneshiro's searing ruminations--heightened by Malcolm X and Bruce Lee, softened by Miles Davis and Brahms--on history, xenophobia, and, of course, love." --Booklist

"Written with poignant authenticity...The cross-cultural themes are universal and, with heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula and the current emphasis on boundaries and otherness, it is a perfect time to meet the hotheaded yet vulnerable young Korean who took Japan by storm." --The Japan Times