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How To Be An American Housewife, Margaret Dilloway – Review

HOW TO BE AN AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE is about the strong pull of tradition, and the lure and cost of breaking free of tradition. Set in California and Japan, it tells the story of Shoko, a Japanese woman who married an American GI as a way of improving her and her family’s fortunes, moved with him to the States, and tried to learn how to be a proper American housewife; and her grown daughter Sue, who finds her own life as an American housewife is not at all what her mother would have wanted for her, or even what Sue had hoped for herself. When Shoko’s illness prevents her from making a long-awaited trip to Japan to be reunited with her brother, she asks Sue to go in her place, and the trip changes both women’s lives in unexpected ways. With beautifully delineated characters and unique entertaining glimpses into Japanese and American family life and aspirations, this is also a moving mother and daughter story. Interspersed with quotations from Shoko’s guide to being an American housewife, this is a warm and engaging novel full of surprising insight. - FROM THE AUTHOR SITE

The inspiration behind How To Be An American Housewife

Reading Group Guide for How To Be An American Housewife

ABOUT THE AUTHOR...Margaret Dilloway is a stay-home mom and writer who recently relocated to Hawaii with her three kids and husband.  Follow Margaret on Twitter, Facebook, and through her blog.

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS...How to Be an American Housewife was written from a Japanese mother's point of view and her half American daughter's as she travels to Japan to look for her mother's brother. Shoko shares with the reader and her daughter the story of her life. How she grew up, the Japanese customs, and how she assimilated to America. Growing up in a Filipino/American family with a father who was in the Navy I understood what it was like for Suiko (Sue) and could remember how things were for my mother as she learned the American ways to try to fit in while trying to keep her culture alive with her. I enjoyed reading the stories of when Shoko was younger but I  had hoped to hear more from Taro's side as well. Still a good read about family and culture and one I was able to read in one evening.

How to Be an American Housewife releases August 5th, until then, follow along with the TLC Book tour stops:

• Monday, July 12th:  Luxury Reading
• Tuesday, July 13th: A Bookworm’s World
• Wednesday, July 14th:  Simply Stacie
• Friday, July 16th:  Peeking Between the Pages
• Monday, July 19th:  Life of a Busy Wife
• Tuesday, July 20th:  At Home with Books
• Wednesday, July 21:  The Book Faery
• Thursday, July 22:  Brunette on a Budget
• Friday, July 23rd:  Bookalicious
• Monday, July 26:  The Literate Housewife
• Tuesday, July 27:  Rundpinne
• Wednesday, July 28th: Books, Movies, and Chinese Food
• Thursday, July 29th:  Diary of an Eccentric
• Friday, July 30th:  Bookgirl’s Nightstand
• Monday, August 2nd:  Savvy Verse and Wit
• Tuesday, August 3rd:  Redlady’s Reading Room
• Wednesday, August 4th:  The Brain Lair
• Thursday, August 5th:  Crazy About Books

I received a copy of this book for review. Receiving a copy did not influence my opinion in any way.

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About The Book Faery

Farrah is from the Raleigh, North Carolina area and married to her high school sweetheart. She's a 30-something mom to 3 crazy yet loveable kids who keep her constantly on her toes. Books can be found in every room in the house and bags as well. Reading is done every moment she gets the chance and a typical afternoon of fun would often find her and the 3 kiddos at a local bookstore or library hunting for the next book. She's currently working towards her goal to one day owning a cafe/bookstore in a historic downtown area where it's all about the reader's experience...community, atmosphere and the love of books.