Synopses & Reviews
This book has a dual purpose. The first is to present a biography of Yamato Ichihashi, a Stanford University professor who was one of the first academics of Asian ancestry in the United States. The second purpose is to present, through Ichihashis wartime writings, the only comprehensive first-person account of internment life by one of the 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry who, in 1942, were sent by the U.S. government to “relocation centers,” the euphemism for prison camps.
Arriving in the United States from Japan in 1894, when he was sixteen, Ichihashi attended public school in San Francisco, graduated from Stanford University, and received a doctorate from Harvard University. He began teaching at Stanford in 1913, specializing in Japanese history and government, international relations, and the Japanese American experience. He remained at Stanford until he and his wife, Kei, were forced to leave their campus home for a series of internment camps, where they remained until the closing days of the war.
Review
"Anyone interested in the World War II incarceration experience would do well to read this important volume."Amerasia Journal
Review
"Yamato Ichihashi, a distinguished Stanford University professor, experienced, observed, and wrote about internment life . . . and his incomparably rich account far surpasses all previous internee accounts."Yuji Ichioka, University of California, Los Angeles
Review
"This fascinating account . . . is a particularly important source, because of the paucity of contemporary accounts. Chang's sympathetic biographical essay on this enigmatic figure provides an enthralling insight into relations between Japan and the United States in the first half of this century."Times Literary Supplement
Review
"[Ichihashi] was uniquely qualified to observe and record history as he lived it, and his recordsalong with Chang's absorbing commentaryoffer an intriguing view of a shattering episode that continues to be a defining experience for Japanese Americans."San Francisco Chronicle
Review
"Upoon discovering Ichihashi's papers among Stanford's manuscript collections, Chang intended to publish them to honor his memory, add to the literature on the wartime concentration camps, and present the deeply poignant human story contained in his documents. Chang has succeeded on all counts."Journal of American Ethnic History
Synopsis
“Yamato Ichihashi, a distinguished Stanford University professor, experienced, observed, and wrote about internment life . . . and his incomparably rich account far surpasses all previous internee accounts.”—Yuji Ichioka, University of California, Los Angeles
“This fascinating account . . . is a particularly important source, because of the paucity of contemporary accounts. Changs sympathetic biographical essay on this enigmatic figure provides an enthralling insight into relations between Japan and the United States in the first half of this century.”—Times Literary Supplement
Synopsis
This book presents both a biography of a Stanford University professor, one of the first academics of Asian ancestry in the United States, and, through Ichihashi's wartime writings, the only known comprehensive first-person account of life in U.S. "relocation centers" for persons of Japanese ancestry.
Synopsis
This book has a dual purpose. It presents a biography of Yamato Ichihashi, a Stanford University professor who was one of the first academics of Asian ancestry in the United States. It also provides a compelling first-hand account, through Ichihashi's wartime writings, of life in a US internment camp or 'relocation center' during the Second World War. Ichihashi was one of the 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry who were interned by the US government in 1942. Ichihashi's internment writings take various forms: diaries, research essays, and correspondence with friends and Stanford colleagues. As a trained social scientist and an experienced writer fluent in both English and Japanese, Ichihashi was uniquely prepared to observe and record the dramatic events he experienced. He conveys to us, as no other writer does, the anxiety of everyday existence in the camps. The editor has extensively annotated and interwoven the writings into a coherent narrative.
Synopsis
A compelling account of life in a US internment camp during the Second World War.
About the Author
Yamato Ichihashi, a distinguished Stanford University professor, experienced, observed, and wrote about internment life . . . and his incomparably rich account far surpasses all previous internee accounts.”Yuji Ichioka, University of California, Los AngelesThis fascinating account . . . is a particularly important source, because of the paucity of contemporary accounts. Chang’s sympathetic biographical essay on this enigmatic figure provides an enthralling insight into relations between Japan and the United States in the first half of this century.”Times Literary Supplement[Ichihashi] was uniquely qualified to observe and record history as he lived it, and his recordsalong with Chang’s absorbing commentaryoffer an intriguing view of a shattering episode that continues to be a defining experience for Japanese Americans.”San Francisco ChronicleAnyone interested in the World War II incarceration experience would do well to read this important volume.”Amerasia JournalUpoon discovering Ichihashi’s papers among Stanford’s manuscript collections, Chang intended to publish them to honor his memory, add to the literature on the wartime concentration camps, and present the deeply poignant human story contained in his documents. Chang has succeeded on all counts.”Journal of American Ethnic History