Everything Books: 05-16-19

Surgeon’s WWII novel highlights Japanese American heroes

One group of WWII soldiers is recognized as, per capita, the most decorated in U.S. military history: the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated unit of Japanese Americans who fought valiantly in Europe to prove their loyalty despite the racism they’d endured at home.

Now “Repentance,” a new novel by award-winning, surgeon-author Andrew Lam, will blend their history with one family’s compelling story of secrets and sacrifice. “Repentance” launched nationwide on May 1, the 75th anniversary of the date the 442nd embarked transports at Hampton Roads, Virginia, destined for battlefields in Europe.

“Repentance” centers on Daniel Tokunaga, a world-famous cardiac surgeon who’s perplexed when the U.S. government comes calling, wanting to know about his father’s service with the 442nd during World War II. Something terrible happened while his father was fighting the Germans in France, and the Department of Defense won’t stop investigating until it’s determined exactly who did what. Wanting answers of his own, Daniel upends his life to find out what his father did on a small, obscure hilltop half a world away. As his quest for the truth unravels his family’s catastrophic past, earth-shattering secrets topple everything he thinks he knows about a man others call a hero.

Info: For more information on “Repentance,” visit www.AndrewLamMD.com.

Big Island author creates new children’s series

Kids of all ages love stories of animals and adventure, preferably mixed in with a healthy dash of trouble. “Cooper Tails,” the new children’s book series from Hawaiian author B.K. Sterling, delivers on all counts.

Sterling’s dog, a mischievous boxer named Cooper, is now 10 years old, but once upon a time he was a puppy meeting his humans for the first time and learning about life on their sprawling ranch. This forms the storyline for the first of these “tails” (because Cooper has no tail, but plenty of tales to tell). Named “My New Family: A Cooper Tails Book,” it’s available now.

Sterling creates a magical world where Cooper interacts with Dunnie and Sam, a pair of wise horses; Poe, a tattletale of a crow; and a herd of curious cows. Artist Judy Weber supports the story with a series of realistic images that bring all these creatures to life.

There’s a coloring section as well, which lends a level of interactivity to “My New Family: A Cooper Tails Book.”

Info: Upcoming books in the series will be available to the public on approximately a bi-monthly basis, and all will available via Amazon and other leading online retailers.