During World War II, 110,000 Japanese Americans were removed from their homes and incarcerated by the US government. In Looking After Minidoka the “internment camp” years become a prism for understanding three generations of Japanese American life, from immigration to the end of the twentieth century. Nakadate blends history, poetry, rescued memory, and family stories in an American narrative of hope and disappointment, language and education, employment and social standing, prejudice and pain, communal values and personal dreams.
Editorial Reviews
Review
This remarkable book is highly recommended reading for (younger) Sansei, Yonsei, Gosei and members of the burgeoning hapa population, as well of those of whatever background, in and out of educational institutions, who seek enrichment as individuals and communal beings within a multicultural nation via greater awareness of the Nikkei experience in the United States.
― Nichi Bei
Poetic yet sharply honest, the family story unfolds within the larger context of the national saga. You’ll wince but read it anyway. Your soul will be better for it.
― Nuvo
This book is highly readable and contains fascinating details not usually covered in other books on Japanese American history.
― Oregon Historical Quarterly
Review
The story of our country is the story of a family is the story of a man, Neil Nakadate, whose richly researched and deeply felt memoir will move your head and your heart.
— Benjamin Percy
Book Description
A Japanese family’s memory of WWII America
About the Author
Neil Nakadate is Emeritus Professor of English, Iowa State University.
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