Wow, this book.

It's hard to put my thoughts into words. This book is one of those books that you finish and kind of sit back and think "wow." It's one of those books that you can't stop thinking about days, weeks, even months after reading. It's one of those books that sticks with you for a very long time to come.

Within These Lines tells the story of a young Italian-American woman named Evalina Cassano who falls in love with a Japanese-American, Taichi Hamasaki. Set in the 1940's, the two are facing a lot when they begin seeing each other. But that doesn't stop them, not even when the "evacuation" of the Japanese-Americans places miles between the two of them.

This book is a wealth of important historical information. I had no idea about many of the things that took place in this book. I had a vague knowledge of the fact that some sort of Japanese-American concentration camps existed, but that was the extent of my knowledge. This book was an incredible eye opener to me. It's a book that everyone should read, especially Americans, as it's a very important, and often overlooked, piece of our country's history.

I think my favorite aspect of this book was Evalina. She was everything I would want to be, should a situation like this arise in my life. She was there for Taichi every step of the way, and she did so many things that I would never in a million dreams find the courage to do. Maybe, if we read enough books with characters like Evalina, we'll find ourselves getting a little bolder and braver as a result. No harm in trying, right?

Stephanie Morrill does a phenomenal job of putting us in the time period and making us fall in love with these characters as they fall in love with each other. It's a sad book, yes, but it's also beautiful. I definitely recommend it to YA readers. This is a story you'll walk away from thinking about for a long time to come.

I can't wait for Stephanie's next amazing historical novel!