Book Analysis Essay Example

All three books; Up From the Sea by Leza Lowitz, Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata, and Towers Falling by Jewell Parker are books about the children coping with tragedy such as 9/11, tsunamis, and death. All three stories connect because all of the characters face tragedies while having trouble coping with them, fitting into new environments, and they all face racism at some time.

In all of the books, the main characters face tragedies and must cope with them. In Kira-Kira, Katie's sister, Lynn died, In Towers falling, Deja’s father had a heart-wrenching experience in 9/11, and in Up From the Sea, Kai was in a tsunami and lost his family. All of these experiences connect because the all of the characters lost a loved one. The characters also have trouble coping with their loss. For example, they all try to hide the fact that they lost someone instead of embracing it. Throughout the story, they all have an experience that helps them come to terms with their loss. For Deja, it was going to the 9/11 memorial. For Kai, it was meeting people who have also lost loved ones, and for Katie, it was at the end of the book when she drove to California to see where Lynn always wanted to live. All of these reasons show how the stories connect.

Another reason why the three books connect is that they all display racism. In Kira-Kira, the society was being racist towards Asian-Americans, and they were not accepted into society because of their skin color. Another example is in Towers Falling, Saban's family has to be careful to go outside during the 9/11 anniversary because they will experience hate because of their nationality. Lastly, Kai explained his experience with his soccer teammates, “My teammates never passed to me. They stole my ball. They spit on me and kicked me, hard, trying to make me go away,” (Lowitz 96). This explains how his soccer teammates were racist towards him because he was half white, and therefore he would not get passed the ball. He even referred to himself as a “Midfielder” (202) on and off the field because he did not fit into either culture. Because of this, the characters have trouble fitting into society. For example, Katie from Kira Kira has trouble making friends and so does Deja in Towers falling. All of these examples justify how the stories display racism and therefore, they connect because of this.

Lastly, the stories connect because all of the characters have a major change in their environment that they must adjust to. For example, they either had to move or adjust to their new society. In Kira-Kira, Katie moves across the country to Georgia and has trouble fitting in and making friends. Similarly, Deja must move into a shelter community where she eats her meals at the cafeteria everyday. She also moves to a new school that is closer to where she lives, and she too must make new friends. Lastly, after the tsunami in Up From the Sea, everything was different and all of the houses and stores were swept away by the tsunami. Kai moves into a temporary home with his friends family because his family died. Therefore, he felt he did not belong. All of the above are connected because each of the characters had trouble fitting into their new environments and lifestyles.

All three books connect because the characters have trouble moving to new places and homes, experiencing racism, and facing deaths and disasters. Throughout the story, Katie, Kai, and Deja all cope with losing a loved….