Why Love in the Library?
Love in the Library is a sweet story about persistence and love in times of hardship and oppression. It falls into a category of children’s books meant to bring awareness to history and social injustices, particularly racism. But rather than focus entirely on racism, Maggie Tokuda-Hall tells the real-life story of her grandparents in the Minidoka Japanese internment camp, ultimately focusing on the survival and hope that Japanese-Americans held onto in their time of incarceration.
Recipient of starred reviews Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, and School Library Journal, Love in the Library has nevertheless been targeted for being too strong in its wording about the racism faced both historically by Japanese-Americans and by Americans of colour today.