Review: Wartime California comes to life
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 20, 2011
It Had to Be You is a sweeping novel set in southern California in the 1930s and 40s.  Dianne Castle, small town girl from Texas, arrives in the fast-growing city of Los Angeles with an unusual ambition for the day--she wants to be a journalist.As the story opens, Dianne witnesses a small plane crash.  The tragedy changes Dianne's life, providing her with introductions into both the newspaper world and the Japanese community.  These connections bring her into the orbit of the charismatic owner of Club Borneo, Johnny Honda.  Passing events pull them together--and drag them apart.The novel paints a vivid picture of Hollywood before World War II, as Dianne meets Humphrey Bogart at a poker game, spends a weekend visiting Marion Davies at San Simeon, and even rates an occasional mention in Louella Parson's gossip column.On a more serious note, It Had to Be You follows the prewar bigotry and wartime persecution against the Issei (Japanese-born immigrants like Johnny's mother) and Nisei (first-generation American-born Japanese like Johnny and his contemporaries) in California.Satisfying on all levels, It Had to Be You is well worth reading.