Kathleen Burkinshaw’s Young Adult Novel “The Last Cherry Blossom” Is Based on Her Japanese Mother’s First-Hand Experience as a Hiroshima Survivor
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In this episode 156, we visit with award-winning Charlotte area writer Kathleen Burkinshaw, author of “The Last Cherry Blossom.”
This is a story that offers young readers insight into the Japanese culture, mindset, and daily life during WWII before the atomic bomb was dropped. It is based on Kathleen’s mother’s firsthand experience as Hiroshima survivor and hopes to warn readers of the immense damage nuclear war can bring, while reminding us that the “enemy” in war is often not so different from ourselves.
In 2018, Book Riot named the book one of “30 Fascinating Historical Fiction Books for Middle School Readers.”
Kathleen starts the show with a reading from the first chapter of the book, where air raids are becoming a regular occurrence for the young protagonist and her classmates as the allies close in.
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About the Author:
Charlotte area author Kathleen Burkinshaw is a Japanese American and the daughter of a Hiroshima survivor, whose award-winning book, The Last Cherry Blossom (Distributed by Simon & Schuster, Scholastic), is a United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs Resource for Teachers and Students.
Kathleen enjoyed a 10+ year career in HealthCare Management unfortunately cut short by the onset of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD). Writing gives her an outlet for her daily struggle with chronic pain. And writing historical fiction satisfies her obsessive love of researching anything and everything
She has presented her mother’s experience in Hiroshima at the United Nations (NYC), teacher conferences, as well as middle and high schools for the past 9 years. She’s a wife, mom, and owner of a dog who thinks she is a kitchen ninja.
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About the Book:
Yuriko loves growing up in Hiroshima with her father. But with World War Two coming to an end, the future of Japan is uncertain. Yuriko is used to sirens and air-raid drills, but real news about the war is censored by the government. But in 1945, the bomb hits Hiroshima and her life and hometown will be changed forever.
Awards for the Book:
Nominated 2019 NC School Library Media Assoc. YA Book Award
Nominated 2019-2020 Volunteer State Book Award
Finalist 2018 Sakura Medal, Japan
Finalist 2017 Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction
SCBWI Crystal Kite Award Finalist(southeast region)
Scholastic WNDB Reading Club Selection, 2018 & 2016
New England Book Festival, Honorable Mention YA category
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