Reading: HOTAKA - A Novel by John Heffernan

When the tsunami strikes the Japanese seaside town of Omori-wan, the effects are utterly devastating. Three years later, much of what happened on that day is still a mystery. As Hotaka sets about convincing local performers to appear at the town's upcoming Memorial Concert, he finds himself haunted by memories of best friend, Takeshi, who perished without trace in the tsunami. Then his friend Sakura becomes involved in an anti-seawall movement, and the protest quickly gets serious. As the town and its people struggle to rebuild their lives, can Hotaka piece together what happened that day--and let go of the past? Includes map, timeline, and glossary.

A heartfelt story of a teenage boy living in the conflict zone of Afghanistan "The explosion jolts him awake. He sits up, gasping for air, heart thumping. Was the blast real? Perhaps it had only happened in his head, a bad dream. Demons of the dark, his father had called them. 'Push them away. They'll only poison your thoughts. Seek the light and they can't hurt you.'" Naveed is sick of war--of the foreign powers and the Taliban, the warlords and the drug barons that together have torn Afghanistan apart. He's had to grow up quickly to take care of his widowed mother and little sister, making what little money he can doing odd jobs and selling at the markets. When he adopts Nasera, a street dog with extraordinary abilities, he has a chance to help rebuild his country. But will a new friend's betrayal crush his dreams of peace forever? From the winter of war comes the spring of hope.