Product Description

The poignant story of a Japanese-American womans journey through one of the most shameful chapters in American history.Kimis Obaachan, her grandmother, had always been a silent presence throughout her youth. Sipping tea by the fire, preparing sushi for the family, or indulgently listening to Ojichans (grandfathers) stories for the thousandth time, Obaachan was a missing link to Kimis Japanese heritage, something she had had a mixed relationship with all her life. Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, all Kimi ever wanted to do was fit in, spurning traditional Japanese culture and her grandfathers attempts to teach her the language.But there was one part of Obaachans life that fascinated and haunted Kimiher gentle yet proud Obaachan was once a prisoner, along with 112,000 Japanese Americans, for more than five years of her life. Obaachan never spoke of those years, and Kimis own mother only spoke of it in whispers. It was a source of haji, or shame. But what really happened to Obaachan, then a young woman, and the thousands of other men, women, and children like her?From the turmoil, racism, and paranoia that sprang up after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, to the terrifying train ride to Heart Mountain, captures a vital chapter the Japanese-American experience through the journey of one remarkable woman and the enduring bonds of family.