Shoko, a young Japanese girl, meets Charlie, an American GI, in Japan after WWII.  She has been on the lookout for a better way of life and Charlie is willing to marry her and take her to America.  She is determined to become the perfect “American Housewife” and brings with her a book written for Japanese women to help them learn to navigate the difficulties of not only a new marriage, but a totally new culture.

“How to be an American Housewife” follows Shoko’s life as an Army wife and features stories of her previous life in Japan.  Shoko is strong-willed and passionate and her journey is interesting as well as very entertaining.  Later in the book, Shoko’s adult daughter, Sue, travels to Japan to complete a mission on her mother’s behalf.  Sue finds,  while unraveling her mother’s past, a way to plot a new future for herself and her teenage daughter.

“How to Be an American Housewife” by Margaret Dilloway was a most enjoyable book.  The characters were real and engaging and the story both funny and heartwarming.  I was excited to see on the author’s webpage  that she will be publishing a second book “The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns” in Spring 2012.