[4] Lori Williamson in "Women's History and Biography" stated that the book explored a hypocritical stance regarding racial integration in which Katō criticized her stepdaughter for trying to have a liaison with an American soldier.
[6] Janet Goff of Pacific Affairs wrote that the work is "The culmination of long effort unearthing primary sources".
[7] Joyce Gelb of the City University of New York described the book as "an important personal, historical, and political biography of an extraordinary woman".
[7] Linda L. Johnson of Concordia College wrote that the book is "cogent", "well-researched",[9] and "fascinatingly detailed".
[12] C. L. Yates of Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries wrote that it had an "engrossing and ably told" narrative about the subject's life, but that it lacked "a rigorous analytical and critical treatment of central issues" and in portions a ""gee whiz" tone to the narrative voice" that is "distracting".