Japanese Phase III

Norton’s PHASE III: Autobiographies, Biographies, and Historical Nonfiction

Studying the autobiographies, biographies, and historical nonfiction in Phase III helps in identifying historical happenings that influenced the culture.

Carlson, L.M. (Ed.). (1994). American eyes : New Asian-American short stories for young adults. New York: H. Holt.

These ten stories reflect the conflict Asian Americans face in balancing an ancient heritage and an unknown future. Gr. 7-up

Chan, S. (1991). Asian Americans: An interpretative history. New York: Twayne.

This book is fairly readable, in small stints. The author’s approach is to provide densely-packed summaries of historical events. In the first chapter, she presents a highly useful account of patterns of and reasons for immigration from China, Japan, Korea, East India, the Philippines, and Southeast Asia to the United States. In other chapters she describes mutual aid societies formed by Asian women immigrants in America and the particular hardships for early Asian women immigrants, touching on Asian cultural practices in each case. (Abshear-Seale, L.)

Ishukawa, Y. (1991). Strawberry Road. New York: Kodanska.

A best seller in Japan, this is a chronicle of Ishikawa’s life as a teen-aged migrant worker in 1965 and of his struggles to get an education and to make sense of life in America. An amusing and instructive look at America. (Hoffman, B.)

Knaefler, T. (1991). Our house divided: Seven Japanese American families in World War II. Honolulu: University of Hawaii.

Members of seven families were in Japan, Hawaii, and the continental United States when World War II began. (Hoffman, B.)

Kuklin, S. (1992). How my family lives in America. New York: Bradbury Press.

African-American, Asian-American, and Hispanic-American children describe their families' cultural traditions. Gr. Pre-3

 

Mochizuki, K. (1997). Passage to freedom: The Sugihara story. New York: Lee & Low Books.

The story of one man’s remarkable courage, and the respect between a father and a son who shared the weight of witness and an amazing act of humanity. (UNISTAR)

Morey, J. (1992). Famous Asian Americans. New York: Cobblehill Books.

Chronicles the lives and accomplishments of fourteen Asian Americans including Jose Aruego, Michael Chang, An Wang, and Ellison Onizuka. Gr. 3-6

Morimoto, J. (1990). My Hiroshima. New York: Viking.

The author has chosen to tell the story of the first atomic bomb explosion through childhood memories, so that young children will be able to relate the story to their lives. (UNISTAR)

O’Brian D., & Fugita, S. (1991). The Japanese American Experience.Bloomington, IN: Indiana University.

Shimer, R. (1994). A true story of Japanese Internment. New York: Crown.

Story of Japanese internment. It contains pictures taken by the federal government including some by Ansel Adams. The book also follows the experience of Shi Nomura. (Hoffman, B.)j

Sone, M. (1953). Nisei daughter. Seattle: University of Washington.

This memoir tells the story of the author’s life: of growing up in Seattle, being sent as an adolescent with her family to a Japanese-American relocation camp during World War Two, and leaving camp to attend college. (Abshear-Seale, L.)

Takaki, R. T. (1995). Strangers at the gates again : Asian American immigration after 1965. New York: Chelsea House.

Contents:

After World War II -- The second wave begins -- The Yi Man: new immigrants from China -- The largest group: the Filipinos -- From professionals to shopkeepers: the Koreans -- India in the West -- Fleeing from Southeast Asia: the refugees. Gr. 6-0

Uchida, Y. (1991). The invisible thread. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: J. Messner.

Children’s author, Yushiko Uchido, describes growing up in Berkeley, California, as a Nisei, second generation Japanese American, and her family’s internment in a Utah concentration camp during World War II. (UNISTAR)

Uchida, Y. (1982). Desert exile: The uprooting of a Japanese American Family. Seattle: University of Washington Press.

It is a biography of the author’s Japanese American family and their relocation into a camp during World War II. (UNISTAR)

Yanashita, K. (1990). Through the arc of the rain forest: a novel.Minneapolis: Coffee House Press.