A book written by a South Kitsap High graduate has been selected by the Kitsap Regional Library for its “One Book, One Community” program. The library hopes come October, its county-wide patrons will join in reading and discussing “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet,” a book about Chinese and Japanese families living in Seattle at the time of Pearl Harbor. The “One Book, One Community” program is designed to encourage reading and book discussion.

The library staff and members of its board of trustees chose “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” for its sense of hope and regional connection.

Jamie Ford, the author, writes with a deft hand; his pages are full of vivid historic details. Ford lived in Kitsap County during the 1980s, first as a teen then again after college.

Ford’s father grew up and attended school in Seattle’s Chinatown and Ford spent a lot of time there as a child as well. He currently lives in Montana.

His book, published in 2009, is a story about a Chinese American boy and a Japanese American girl, each of whom attend a private Seattle elementary school. It follows the Asian immigrant experience and Seattle jazz scene in the 1940s, as well as a love story set in the 1980s.

Each of the library’s branches will host several programs related to the book and the topics it addresses. Staff hope to have Ford appear at a branch at some point during the month, according to a press release. WU