A bestselling novel that fosters the power of forgiveness and spotlights a volatile period of American history, when thousands of families were relegated to U.S. internment camps during World War II, will serve as the Common Reader this school year at Amarillo College.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford will be distributed this summer to students who will be attending AC as freshmen come fall. The entire AC community will have a chance to read the award-winning tale before the author makes a public appearance in October on the Washington Street Campus.

 

Ford is scheduled to speak about his debut novel at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13 in the spacious Ordway Hall Auditorium.

 

Ford’s story flashes back and forth between two periods of time experienced by the same individual – Henry Lee – a Chinese-American boy of 12 at the time of the war, who as a widower in adulthood begins to investigate his past. He hopes to find clues to the whereabouts of his first girlfriend, Keiko, a Japanese-American whose cultural origin Henry’s father had been emphatically unwilling to condone.

 

Courtney Milleson, who chairs the Common Reader Team, says this year’s selection is not only topical but should prove especially poignant given the avalanche of discourse stemming from myriad recent events.

 

“Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet will allow us as a family of learners to compare, and possibly even to change, long-held values,” Milleson said. “The national and international landscapes are forcing us to revisit our personal and national values.

 

“History truly does repeat itself,” she said. “This book challenges the attitudes of those who judge others based on appearances or culture.”

 

AC’s Common Reader Program is designed to utilize one book to help ease the transition of new students to the College environment; however the entire College community is encouraged to read the book, and several themed events are planned throughout the year to complement the selection. That, of course, includes an appearance by the author.

 

“Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet received several accolades upon its release in 2009, including the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. Kirkus Review hailed the novel as “A timely debut that not only reminds readers of a shameful episode in American history, but cautions us to examine the present and take heed we don’t repeat those injustices.”

 

The Seattle Times praised the book as “A wartime-era Chinese-Japanese variation on Romeo and Juliet.”
 

July 13, 2016