A beautiful life story in which beauty and goodness triumph over the ugly and the bad

Within the first few pages of this beautifully written story, I fell in love with Midori. Brimming with thoroughly researched details, vivid descriptions of Midori’s travels and experiences, and lively conversations with persons in Midori’s life, this book tells the story of how Midori bravely and gracefully faced and conquered numerous adverse situations during an extraordinary period in time. The reader first learns of Midori’s incredible resolve and resourcefulness early in the book when Midori, at only age nine, traveled alone on a ship from Japan to the United States with only a few provisions for the three-week journey and even fewer instructions on what to expect from his new home country other than hope for a better life. Later, after WWII erupted, Midori came under scrutiny and was targeted for espionage by several people and entities, including the U.S. government, simply because of his having been born in Japan. Throughout the significant trials and tribulations Midori faced during this dark period in U.S. history, Midori maintained his resilience, gratitude, dignity, determination, curiosity for learning, work ethic and optimism. He lived his life with a focus on the good rather than the bad, the beauty rather than the ugliness — perspectives that Midorii’s talent in photography allowed him to capture and share with the world through the lens of his camera.