Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism.

There are at least three dogs that play an important role in Manami’s character arc: Yujiin, the dog Kimmi’s family ultimately adopts, and Seal. What role does each dog play in Manami’s character development, and what is the wider significance of each?

Different people in the story react to imprisonment at Manzanar in different ways. How do various characters learn to cope with their circumstances? What do these experiences suggest about the nature of trauma and resilience?

Water, in both its absence and its presence, plays an important role in the novel. What are the different ways water appears in the text? What is the larger symbolic meaning of water in this story?