Before reading Quiet Odyssey I was expecting it to be a long, dragged on story that I wasn't expecting to find very interesting. Before reading this book I had no prior knowledge of the author. I only had knowledge of the time period when the story took place. After I started reading the story I couldn't put the book down. Learning about her life and the time period is surprisingly interesting. The overall story is very didactic, entertaining, and informative. Through this story I learned that when in a situation where you are bullied or discriminated against, I can be the bigger person. I also learned how to stay positive when many things go wrong in life. At some points in the story it was very difficult to continue on due to the dry ness but as I continued it would pick back up again. From first starting the book to finishing the book my thoughts changed very much. I was hesitant to start it but as I continued to read I enjoyed it. Quiet Odyssey is a nonfiction prose. It includes many things in history and it is an autobiography of Mary's life as well. The book includes many things from history like World War 2, Pearl Harbor and some things about the German and Japanese war. Quiet Odyssey uses some literary techniques like character, setting, point of view, style and language and theme. There is a plot but it is all over the place throughout the story. The story is focused on Mary her self and her family and the story is told through her eyes. Through her point of view you see some things that go deeper than a normal story telling about living in that time. Some examples are some quotes like "Nevertheless, my stomach ached for lack of food, and I had severe cramps." and " Seeing them that way made me realize how ignorant I was. It awakened me to the reality of life." (Quiet Odyssey, Mary Paik Lee, p.23) It is also Mary's character and for me her husbands character that made me fall in love with the story. She shows all of her love for everyone and her pain through life but she also shows how she pushes past the troubles in her life. This quote about Mary broke me through showing her pain in a real way. "After Henry died, I walked around like a zombie for two years. I couldn't remember my name, address or phone number and had to carry a card with that information. I thought I was crazy and felt frozen inside." (Quiet Odyssey, Mary Paik Lee, p.127) Also this quote from Hung showed the couples true love. " He thanked me for working with him throughout our life together to accomplish all the things we were able to do, and he said he couldn't have done it without my cooperation... He kept repeating his love for me and he said his farewell before sinking into the last coma." (Quiet Odyssey, Mary Paik Lee, p. 124) The setting plays a very big roll in how the story plays out. It is where they are and when that determines how they find stability in each place. Some places that are mentioned are Hawaii, Riverside, Colusa and many other places all through out California and some places out of country. The time when the Pearl Harbor tragedy takes place is another time when the setting is critical to know to understand the story. " I stopped by the Nixon's grocery store to buy something. I left my one-year-old son, Tony, in the truck, thinking I'd be back in two minutes. I was surprised to see the room full of people who stared at me with hateful expressions. One man said, "There's one of them damned Japs now. What's she doing here?" " (Quiet Odyssey, Mary Paik Lee, p.95) There is a theme of discrimination all throughout the book at certain points. It shows how they got through the discrimination as well. Through being bullied when I was younger and up until middle schools, I was able to relate to Mary in some situations with being discriminated against. When she went to her first school, the little kids in school would sing the song "Ching Cong, Chinaman, Sitting on a wall. Along came a white man, And chopped his head off." Then the little kids would smack her in the neck symbolizing them chopping off her head. I have learned through reading this that I can do anything that I want to do with motivation and drive to achieve my goal. I agree with many of the evaluations made by people about this book. It is a very encouraging book that teaches many lessons along the way. I also agree with all of the values presented in this book especially the Christianity parts of the book. After reading the book completely, my enjoyment increased very much. I would highly encourage people to read this book who are seeking to learn more about the time period, a first hand account of discrimination or just to read a story of overcoming struggles in life. They way that Mary describes everything through out the story can make some one feel as if they are actually there experiencing it with her. The images are presented very vividly. Mary has a much better reputation since the work has been written and published. Even though she isn't alive any more, she has created a great name for herself through publishing this piece. Through knowing that she could survive all the troubles of life when it got bad shows me that I can do it too.This work is representative of the time through how it states in the beginning where education wasn't available to women, it also shows Pearl Harbor, and other times in history like living during the German-Japanese War.