Joe is the central protagonist and the novel’s narrator. His child’s point-of-view invites the reader’s empathy. At the beginning of the novel, he is an innocent bystander of a changing world. At the end, he is a teenager who has endured horrors. After the Imperial Japanese Army bombs Pearl Harbor in 1941, Joe is bullied. His family is ripped apart when his father is arrested, but Joe tries to maintain a semblance of normalcy by playing with his best friend Ray. Joe hopes for the best despite the racism he’s experiencing, but he’s also frightened by the alarmist reports of more possible bombings. Like other Japanese Americans, he faces two key fears: additional attacks from Japan and bigotry from Americans.

Executive Order 9066 upends Joe’s life. At Tule Lake, his childhood ends. He becomes more bitter and resentful, illustrating the perils of Coming-of-Age Amidst Atrocities. Joe tries to commit himself to writing in the journal his father gave him. Typically an avid storyteller, he struggles to express his feelings, which have become muddled by the challenges of living in Tule Lake and his internal struggle against his unjust and powerless situation.