A Line Can Go Anywhere: The Brilliant, Resilient Life of Artist Ruth Asawa

Gr 1-4–A line is a lovely metaphor for a biography of Ruth Asawa. Her life is divided by lines—the line between being Japanese and American at a particularly difficult time in U.S. history. There is the line of the beautiful hills of California where she was born, the line of barbed wire across the fences where she was imprisoned with her family and other people of Japanese descent during WWII, and the line of racism she encountered. Yet she persisted in creating art in any way she could, through drawing, painting, and sculpture, using line and form to inspire and entertain people of all ages, telling people, “Art is for everyone.” She also worked toward developing art education programs in San Francisco and beyond. The inspiring artwork mirrors some of the shapes in Asawa’s work, and the use of some vivid colors in the mostly muted palette makes the message pop. The book has themes of finding one’s voice, racism, persistence, and finding beauty in the world.