Since it’s summer time, I think it’s best to start recommending some beach reading material! I first read Color of the Sea by Bay Area resident John Hamamura about 3 years ago, and I literally read it in one sitting. After tearing through the book, I immediately felt this movie could be a major motion picture.

It’s an amalgam of the perfect beach or airline book, with an epic story of star-crossed lovers under the backdrop of historical, global events. Taking place from 1930 through the end of World War II, the main protagonist is Isamu “Sam” Hamada, a young, precocious boy who has to learn to grow up quickly into the strong, virile man that he becomes. Here’s the synopsis:

The story begins in 1930 and follows the life of Sam as a young child. He leaves his mother and siblings in Japan to join his father on the Big Island of Hawaii, working in the plantation fields. For a proud Samurai family, Sam’s father has become an alcoholic, sugar cane laborer, constantly mistreated by the “haole” owners of the plantations. However, his dream for his young son Sam is for him to be educated in English and study at an American university.
With his father absent because of work or boozing with his friends, Sam befriends an eccentric old man named Fujiwara, who becomes his sensei, teaching him the ways of the samurai, through martial arts and the code of honor. Sam becomes a life-long practitioner. Yet, as teens usually are, he gets into a reckless situation and must flee Hawaii. Sam eventually moves to Stockton, CA to work as a farm hand for a Japanese-American family. He immediately takes notice of their daughter, Keiko. The two are immediately attracted to each other. Soon, the Japanese Imperialist army attacks Pearl Harbor.
This book is filled with images that run the whole gamut of the human experience; he contrasts images of love, sex, spiritual martial arts and the beauty of nature with the heart rending experiences of war, death, and despair. Hamamura is able to convincingly string major events that encapsulate the Japanese-American experience during that time, ranging from  interment camps, to the 442nd, to the MIS, and across the globe from Hawaii, to California, Europe, the South Pacific to Hiroshima.
After reading the book, I saw imagery and story threads that reminded me of Atonement, Snow Falling on Cedars and Letters from Iwo Jima. So, 2 out of the 3 were novels. And yeah, Hamamura’s book isn’t all that original. At times, it is kind of cliche at times. But what got me really going was what this poor church librarian didn’t like, which is illustrated in her Amazon review for the book: The message and historical significance was strong, and I would have loved to use it for my church book club, a review on our web, or at least put it in the church library, but I am a little bothered about the explicit sexual parts. Although not overly done, I am sure someone in the church will be upset with them.

Oh my! I wonder if she was still titillated? Hamamura, the author, could easily write for Penthouse Letters. I thought the sex scenes were pretty hot, with “throbbing” this and “sweaty” that. His description of Sam, is very much of the masculine and virile kind, especially when impressionable Sam, as a teen, is seduced by the plantation owner’s mistress or when he’s meditating half naked under a waterfall and a young woman is spying from afar, marveling at his physique. Wow, entering into Lady Chatterley’s Lover territory.

Even hotter, were just the character’s longing for one another, with descriptives of Keiko’s beautiful breasts, or the outline of her body under the sunlight peeking through her sun dress. Yeah, let’s get it on!

I mean, this is what I want to see in a big Hollywood movie, don’t you? COLOR OF THE SEA is essentially a raunchier Nicholas Sparks novel. Who doesn’t want to see that on the big screen? I know fellow Offender Justin is prepping two big film franchises back-to-back, but dude, download this book and read it on your iPad in-between flights, mmmkay? I mean, with the rumor going around that Ken Watanabe is set to direct a 442nd movie, maybe the timing is right?

In the meantime, if you’re jonesing to get some sun at the beach, grab this book and tell me what you think. Maybe we can start a YOMYOMF beach book club?