Southland (novel)

Southland is a Los Angeles Times best-selling^{[citation needed]} novel and "Best book of 2003" by Nina Revoyr. It focuses on quest for the past and present of racial justice in Los Angeles. The novel is also a Book Sense 76 pick, an Edgar Award finalist, and the winner of the Ferro-Grumley Award and the Lambda Literary Award. Publishers Weekly called it "Compelling... never lacking in detail and authentic atmosphere, the novel cements Revoyr's reputation as one of the freshest young chroniclers of life in L.A.^[1]

The book Southland written by Nina Revoyr (http://www.ninarevoyr.com/) is a murder mystery novel taking place in Los Angeles between the 40’s and 90’s at a time when discrimination and racism were at an all-time high. Revoyr features many historic references happening in Los Angeles’s past dealing with racial issues and uses character interactions to drive these points. Frank Sakai and Curtis Martin are two characters whose life is effected by the racism in the Los Angeles neighborhoods.

Characters

• Victor
• Frank Sakai
• Alma
• Curtis Martindale

Setting

Frank Sakai a Japanese-American living in Los Angeles tells the story of his father’s arrival to America. When his father came off the boat from San Francisco he was greeted by a white gang of thugs. The white gang of thugs proceeded to yell racial comments at the arriving Japanese like “Japs, Turn around and go home” (pg 93). When the white gang of thugs started throwing horse dung, unlike the other men who scurried Frank’s dad threw some back and faced the white gang. Frank later on describes his own racist experience in his own life. Well playing with some friends and going to the beach Frank and his friends are met with confusion when reading a sign with two arrows separating the beach. Frank describes the sign as “It was a dark brown board, attached to a pole that was sunken into the edge of the sand, and it had two arrows painted on it, one pointing right the other pointing left. Above the left were the words, “Whites Only”. Above the right were the words, “Colors Only” (pg 97). Not sure which side to go to a young white man points out that they belong to the right side, when his wife disagree and tells them to head towards the left. Frank still confused decides to head right. World War II was a tough time for all Japanese Americans including Frank and his family. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor President Roosevelt issued executive order 9066 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-i6D3jY1Ec) which legalize the deportation of Japanese Americans to internment camps. In Los Angeles out of about 120,000 Japanese Americans living in America, 40,000 were from the Los Angeles County (http://www.irwinator.com/126/wdoc200.htm). Frank and his family were moved to the Santa Anita Race track to live during the war. His father was being held separately in Manzanar (http://www.manzanar.com/information.php). Well spending sixteen months in the Internment camp Franks dad and sister died and Frank decides against his mother’s wishes to volunteer for the army.

Frank was part of the 442nd infantry, an all Japanese-American regiment who were responsible for helping America get an upper hand during the war. (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nk3w-4tINwk/TQovi0ToaFI/AAAAAAAAAAw/GeuCF90hjvU/s1600/442+regiment.jpg) Even though the regiment were great soldiers other army troops still looked down on them. Frank refers to an incident where a hakujin (White/Caucasian) http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hakujin solider calls them “Dirty Jap” (pg 115) and Frank and a few other soldiers fought them because the racist remark. Although Frank dealt with a lot of racism in his life not everyone felt that way. When returning home from the war Frank went back to work at his former job before he was forced to move, a store own by “Old Man Larabie”. Old Man Larabie eventually retires and agrees to sell Frank the store and with that Frank was able to build his life back up from the war.

References