Watkins begins her story in North Korea, moves into Seoul, South Korea, then into Pusan, a port city of Japan, and finally into Kyoto. These areas have been ravaged by war, and Watkins takes us behind the scenes and introduces us to the filthiest trains, the filthiest stations, and the filthiest people on both sides of the war. Her vivid descriptions of the devastation, the blood, and the stench allude to the ugliness of war. We picture the wreckage, and we feel the fear Yoko experiences when trying to navigate through such horrors without getting killed.

If we study the myths and traditions of Japan, we learn that the Japanese have a deep respect for the environment and the natural features of the land. Watkins describes how Yoko and her family use the Asian landscape to provide relief and protection. They bathe in the ponds and rivers, they...