Himawari House

Cover of Himawari House (Macmillan, n.d.).

Title: Himawari House

Author: Harmony Becker

ISBN: 9781250235565

Publisher: First Second of Reading Brook Press

Genre: Contemporary; realistic; slice-of-life

Format: Graphic Novel

Awards: Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Fiction Literature; Kirkus Prize for Young Adult Readers’ Literature

Interest Level: 14-18 (Macmillan, n.d.)

Plot Summary

Himawari House is a slice-of-life story of three young women in Japan. Nao is a Japanese American, born in Japan but raised in the Midwest, and has returned to her home country to try to reconnect with her culture. Hyejung is a Korean woman who ran to Japan to escape her parents' expectations and fell in love with the country. Tina is a Singaporean who wants to study in Japan. Together, they all live in the Himawari house, attending Japanese language school, and navigating their young adulthood while in a country foreign to them, facing challenges of work, school, and love on top of language barriers. This graphic novel gives a look into the diverse experiences of expatriates discovering themselves, depicted in the simple yet beautiful and expressive style of the author and artist, Harmony Becker.

Author Background

Originally a webcomic creator, Harmony Becker would later go on to illustrate the story of George Takaei's experience in the Japanese Internment Camps in the graphic novel They Called Us Enemy (2019). After this launched her publishing career, Becker would take her webcomic Himawari Share and develop it into the graphic novel Himawari House (Alverson, 2021). Born in the U.S., she has lived in Japan and South Korea, and she currently lives in Mexico City (Hayakawa, 2024).

Photograph of Harmony Becker (Alverson, 2021).

A short but informative interview with Harmony Becker about Himawari House (Hayakawa, 2024).

Critical Evaluation

Himawari House has been praised for Harmony Becker’s use of speech balloons to convey the experience of language barriers, language learning, and translation (Brabander, 2022). I couldn’t agree more with this sentiment as the use of scribbles, lack of translations, and clarifying explanations captures the panic and frustration of only understanding a fraction of what another person is saying. I also appreciate that even in the parts where the characters don’t understand what is being said, Becker kept the original language written, giving those with knowledge of the languages an extra advantage to knowing what is being said. As she stated in an interview, Becker kept the original words as translations are imperfect, and she wanted to provide the original words for those who could read them (Hayakawa, 2024). The writing privileges knowing multiple languages as much as the story itself does. There is a particular set of panels on pages 124-125 that really capture the beauty of beginning to understand languages. Even without the images, Becker’s words capture the beauty (words are as written and structured to mimic the panels):

“The storefronts and signs, once faceless strangers…

…now greet me like new friends.

Every new word I learn lifts the fog around me a little more…

…revealing the colors and shapes of the world around me.”

Example of Becker’s use of language and speech bubbles to show confusion and translation issues. This is from the webcomic, Himawari Share, but there is a similar panel on page 45 of Himawari House (Becker, 2017b).

Beyond the clever use of speech bubbles and its exploration of language, Himawari House expertly depicts cultural differences and how to appreciate them. Each of the young women from the story was raised in a different country: the United States, South Korea, and Singapore. They are all new to Japan, and each one has a different struggle and experience with being away from home, missing their home cultures and families, and navigating new experiences in Japan. English acts as a unifying language for all three of them, signifying places and moments when they can relax and act more like themselves. But even this language is an imperfect connecting tool as Hyejun, the woman from South Korea, speaks with a heavier accent, causing linguistic trouble. But in the end, the book shows all three of these women loving and caring for one another, bonded through their cultural differences, and celebrating their differences: all three are more forward and honest than either of the boys they are living with would like, but even they admite that this is an admirable quality that pushes them. It’s a beautiful slice-of-life story that shows the power and value of genuine human connection, even through cultural barriers.

Creative Use for a Library Program

One thing that I wish more libraries in my area hosted is language learning groups. These are groups where people can come to have conversations with each other in a language that they want to practice and improve. Ideally, these groups would be filled with a variety of people at different levels of language comprehension, from beginner to advanced, but they would, at the very least, connect people who have a similar goal and interest in mind. Groups like this can foster connections that allow people to visit areas of the city and practice their language with native speakers– it’s always easier to navigate awkward and new situations with someone else. To host this, the librarian would provide a time and space for the group to meet. It could be very informal, the librarian only having to put out drinks and snacks and maybe even some language learning books or books written in the target language. Teens would be enticed to participate in these groups, particularly those who want to practice their native language, connect with their culture, or even just practice their language skills with a new language they are learning.

Book Talk

Three young adults living abroad in Japan, learning to navigate new language, culture, love, and more!

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation

It is difficult to think of objectionable parts of this book. There’s a scene where a character is showering, but everything is covered up by well-placed bubbles; the characters drink, but they are of legal age in Japan, and they drink responsibly; and there is only implied sex with none of the acts actually depicted. If any of these are objected to, I would state how these are young adults who are exploring their world and its limits. The book shows healthy ways of navigating these difficulties, presenting useful examples for teens about to embark on their own journey through adulthood.

Reason for Inclusion

This book is so fun and easy to read. I fell in love with the three main women and was so sad when the book ended and Nao returned to America. I was sitting in a park trying not to yell out loud to her, "Just stay in Japan!" This book would be a great addition to any collection not only because it depicts the challenges of early adulthood from first jobs, first major failures, and the struggles of navigating new responsibilities, but also because it shows the difficulties of language learning, language barriers, and cultural differences. Nao’s struggle with feeling not American enough and not Japanese enough is a real experience that other face, and this book offers the opportunity for them to feel seen and validated in their emotions. Not to mention, the characters are just so fun to read about!

Other Works by Harmony Becker

Panel from Harmony Becker’s other webcomic: Anemone and Catharus (Becker, 2017a). This, along with Himawari Share, can be found on her Tapas page https://tapas.io/harmonyayy

They Called Us Enemy, the book of George Takei's story of his life in the Japanese Internment Camps, illustrated by Harmony Becker (Penguin Random House, n.d.).

References

Alverson, B. (2021, November 4). Q&A Harmony Becker, creator of “Himawari House.” School Library Journal. https://www.slj.com/story/interview-harmony-becker-creator-of-himawari-house-graphic-novels

Becker, H. (2017a, May 11). Part 01. Tapas. https://tapas.io/episode/693682

Becker, H. (2017b, September 04). Chapter 02 part 6. Tapas. https://tapas.io/episode/756155

Brabander, J. M. (2022, January 11). Review of Himawari House. The Horn Book. https://www.hbook.com/story/review-of-himawari-house

Hayakawa, Y [LIFE UPDATE | YOHEI HAYAKAWA]. (2024, February 4). Himawari House the story woven by three characters from Japan, Korea, and Singapore｜Harmony・Becker [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIdtPo9QZUE

Macmillan. (n.d.). Himawari House. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250235565/himawarihouse/

Penguin Random House. (n.d.). The called us enemy: Expanded edition. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/605187/they-called-us-enemy-expanded-edition-by-george-takei-justin-eisinger-steven-scott-harmony-becker/

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