Born in Okinawa, TOMIKO HIGA worked for twenty-seven years at the Okinawa branch of the American Express Company while completing her high school and undergraduate education. She graduated in law from the University of Okinawa in 1991. In 1984, when film footage of a little girl carrying a white flag drew public attention, Higa finally decided to come forward. Her gripping narrative achieved popular and critical acclaim in her native country, and the now-famous photo of the author has become a symbol calling for world peace.
<br> One of the saddest yet most uplifting books about childhood you will ever encounter. ... A powerful document as well as a completely engrossing adventure. -Newsday<p><br> [A] moving memoir... All will be touched by Higa's tenacity under impossible circumstances and will be reminded that children continue to be the worst victims of war. -School Library Journal<p><br>. .. her unaffected memoir serves as a reminder that in any war, 'noncombatants' suffer grievously. -Los Angeles Times Book Review<p><br> A gripping story. -Mainichi Daily News<p><br> A testimony to the resilience of the human spirit. [It] is a short book that you will not be able to put down once you start to read it. -City life News<p><br>. ..an original, candid, and attention gripping autobiographical narrative which is superbly written and enthusiastically recommended... -Bookwatch<p><br>