Synopses & Reviews
In the wake of wartime panic that followed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, more than one hundred thousand Japanese Americans residing along the West Coast of the United States were uprooted from their homes and their communities and banished to internment camps throughout the country. Through personal documents, art, and propaganda, Only What We Could Carry expresses the fear, confusion, and anger of the camp experience. The only anthology of its kind, this is an emotional and intellectual testament to the dignity, spirit, and strength of the Japanese American internees.
Review
"A thoughtful and provocative collection." San Francisco Chronicle
Review
"Conveys the deep anguish felt by Japanese who defined themselves as citizens of the United States and yet lost their rights as citizens during a time of national fear." School Library Journal
Synopsis
The definitive anthology of Japanese American internment.
"In these stories are lifted up our humanity, our indomitable spirit and dignity, an implacable quest for justice"--Janice Mirikitani
Shortly after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the United States government uprooted 120,000 people of Japanese descent from their homes and banished them to remote internment camps. This collection of reminiscences, stories, poems, photographs, and graphic art expresses the range of powerful and sometimes conflicting emotions that arose from the internment experience. Also included are propaganda, government documents, and stories of those outside the camps whose lives were interwoven with those of the internees.
About the Author
Lawson Fusao Inada is regarded by many as the poet laureate of Japanese America. He is co-editor of Aiiieeeee! (1983) and The Big Aiiieeeee! (1991) and author of Legends from Camp (1992) and Drawing the Line (1997). Inada is a multiple recipient of NEA Poetry Fellowships and has read his works at the White House. He has been Professor of English at Southern Oregon State College since 1966.