Readers > Everybody Reads > 2009 > Further Reading and Viewing > Books for Adults
Books for Adults
Fiction
All God's Children by Tom Eidson-
A widowed Quaker woman struggles to raise her sons and keep her land on the frontier. When she befriends and takes in a Japanese American family, trouble with her neighbors arises.
The Color of the Sea by John Hamamura-
Separated from his Japanese American family and girlfriend by the internment practices of World War II, martial arts master Sam Hamada is recruited by the U.S. Army for a secret mission in Japan, where he finds himself torn between cultures.
The Electrical Field by Kerri Sakamoto-
When a lonely, middle-aged Japanese Canadian women is implicated in the murder of a beautiful young girl in a small Ontario suburb, the whole community is forced to come to terms with its dark past.
Fire's Edge by Alan Siporin-
From award-winning writer and former NPR reporter Alan Siporin comes a riveting novel of suspense and courage, where people, good and bad, are tested by hate in Oregon's skinhead underworld.
The Floating World by Cynthia Kadohata-
A Japanese American girl and her family travel around the Pacific Northwest during the 1950s.
Go by Holly Uyemoto-
Wilhelmina deals with emotional problems and her Japanese American family's history on the eve of her 21st birthday.
No-No Boy by John Okada-
Ichiro, a Japanese American, returns to Seattle, Washington, after spending two years in an internment camp, and another two years in prison.
Obasan by Joy Kogawa-
Pearl Harbor changes life in Vancouver for Naomi Nakane when the government takes property from her relatives and interns them.
Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas-
During World War II, a family finds life turned upside down when the government opens a Japanese internment camp in their small Colorado town. After a young girl is murdered, all eyes (and suspicions) turn to the newcomers, the interlopers, the strangers.
What the Scarecrow Said by Stewart David Ikeda-
Prosperous William Fujita, a Japanese American born as soon as his mother arrives on the mainland in 1897, must go with his family and other Japanese to the internment camps in 1942.
When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka-
Told from five different points of view, this story chronicles the experiences of Japanese Americans caught up in the nightmare of the World War II internment camps.
Nonfiction
Drawing the Line: Poems by Lawson Fusao Inada-
Oregon's current poet laureate shares poetry about Oregon, Japanese American life and other topics.
Executive Order 9066: The Internment of 110,000 Japanese Americans by Maisie and Richard Conrat-
This classic collection of photography documents the Japanese American concentration camp experience.
Hood River Issei: An Oral History of Japanese Settlers in Oregon's Hood River Valley by Linda Tamura-
These oral histories of Japanese immigrants who settled in the Hood River Valley from the 1890s to 1924 explore cultural experiences, immigration, settlement and internment during World War II.
Impounded: Dorothea Lange and the Censored Images of Japanese American Internment by Dorothea Lange-
Censored by the U.S. Army, Lange's unseen photographs are the extraordinary photographic record of the Japanese American internment.
Japanese American Internment During World War II: A History and Reference Guide by Wendy Ng-
This history and reference guide will help you understand the history of this internment, its reinterpretation in recent years, and the Japanese American wartime experience through the words of those who were interned.
Last Witnesses: Reflections on the Wartime Internment of Japanese Americans edited by Erica Harth-
Sixty years after more than 100,000 Americans of Japanese descent (two thirds of them American citizens) were interned, one question remains unresolved: "Could it happen again?" Former internees and their children join with others in challenging readers to construct a better future by confronting the past.
May Sky: There Is Always Tomorrow: An Anthology of Japanese American Concentration Camp Kaiko Haiku compiled by Violet Kazue de Cristoforo-
De Cristoforo anthologizes kaiko haiku, a contemporary form of the poetry that is not restricted to discussion of nature or the traditional haiku structure. Includes a history of haiku clubs, their members and their poetry, prior to and during the Japanese Internment.
Only What We Could Carry: The Japanese American Internment Experience edited by Lawson Fusao Inada-
This collection of letters, stories, poetry and art reflects the experiences of many of the Japanese Americans held in internment camps during World War II.
Race, Radicalism, Religion and Restriction: Immigration in the Pacific Northwest, 1890–1924 by Kristofer Allerfeldt-
Many newcomers received exclusions rather than welcomes when arriving in the Northwest. In Allerfeldt's work, religion is represented by Catholic pioneers; radicalism by the International Workers of the World (The Wobblies); and race by Japanese immigrants. Through these groups we get a picture of the social forces at work in the Northwest from 1890 to 1924.
