Suzanne Kamata lived in Japan for more than half of her life, yet she had never explored the small nearby islands of the Inland Sea. The islands are noted for displaying artwork created by prominent, and sometimes curious, international artists and sculptors: Naoshima's wealth of museums, including one devoted to 007, Yayoi Kusama's polka dot pumpkins, Kazuo Katase's blue teacup, and a monster rising out of a well on the hour in Sakate, called "Anger at the Bottom of the Sea"—to name a few. Spurred by her teen-aged daughter Lilia's interest in art and adventure, Kamata sets out to show her the islands' treasures. Mother and daughter must confront several barriers on their adventure. Lilia is deaf and uses a wheelchair. It is not always easy to get onto — or off of — the islands, not to mention the challenges of language, culture, and a generation gap.Suzanne Kamata's books include Gadget Girl and its sequel Indigo Girl; Losing Kei; The Beautiful One Has Come (long- listed for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award); Screaming Divas; and three anthologies. Her short stories, essays, articles and book reviews have appeared in over 100 publications including Real Simple, Brain, Child, Cicada, and The Japan Times. Her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize five times and received a Special Mention in 2006. She is also a two-time winner of the All Nippon Airways/Wingspan Fiction Contest, winner of the Paris Book Festival, and winner of a SCBWI Magazine Merit Award. Suzanne Kamata lives in Tokushima, Japan.
Pubblicato da: Gemma Open Door for Literacy