Japanese Literature Reading List       Main Library     Curriculum Book Lists

• Extra copies of titles marked "HRC" are available for check-out from the Humanities Resource Center.

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Kogawa, Joy -Obasan. (HRC) Naomi Nakane, the main character, considers herself an ordinary Canadian until WWII breaks out, and suddenly she and her family find themselves classified as dangerous aliens and are forced from their homes.

Kogawa, Joy - Itsuka  This novel is a continuation of Obasan. Naomi is now involved in the movement for reparations from the Canadian government for the forcible relocation and confiscation of property of Japanese Canadians during WWII.

Mura, David - Turning Japanese. A sansei from the American Midwest, Mura describes his experiences and sensations during a year spent as a Fulbright scholar in Japan.(1991)

Murayama, Milton - All I Asking For Is My Body. The author describes conflicts between issei parents and nisei children growing up in Hawaii.

Murayama, Milton - Five Years on a Rock.  This is the story of a Japanese immigrant woman in Hawaii, a tribute to the author’s own mother and an account of how traditional Japanese values both oppress and sustain her.

Sakakida, Richard - A Spy in Their Midst (92/ Sakakida).  A Japanese-American nisei from Hawaii, Sakakida worked for US Intelligence during WWII. He was captured by the Japanese after US surrender in the Philippines and tried for treason by the Japanese. He survived the ordeal and managed to act as a double agent even while interned in Japanese prison. He has only recently told his story.

Saiki, Jessica Once, A Lotus Garden This collection of short stories is based on Saiki's observations and experiences growing up as a nisei daughter in Hawaii in pre WWII days.

Saiki, Jessica From The Lanai. Some funny, some sad, these are touching vignettes of the Japanese-American community that Jessica Saiki knew as a child. The quiet rebellion of Japanese-American women is one important theme.

Sasaki, R.A. - The Loom (HRC) Set in the 1960s and 70s, these short stories or vignettes show the stories of three generations of Japanese-Americans. The focus is on relationships between sisters and between mothers and daughters.

Shigekuni, Julie - A Bridge Between Us Four generations of Japanese-American women narrate their own stories, describing the links of both bitterness and love between mothers and daughters.

Sone, Monica - Nisei Daughter. (92/ Sone) The author describes growing up in Seattle as the daughter of Japanese immigrants. Her account of the interactions between the two cultures is both humorous and poignant. It also includes an account of her experiences in an internment camp in Topaz, Idaho.

Uchida, Yoshiko - Picture Bride Eager for adventure, Hana leaves Japan for an arranged marriage to a Japanese immigrant already in California. The story begins in 1917 as she leaves Japan and ends in a relocation camp during WWII. In spite of the hardships, readers are impressed with Hana’s strength, courage and dignity.

Wakatsuki Houston, Jeanne - Farewell to Manzanar. (92/ Houston) ( HRC) Manzanar is the name of a WWII relocation camp for American residents of Japanese descent. Wakatsuki describes life in the camp and its effects on her family.

Yamamoto, Hisaye Seventeen Syllables A recurrent theme of these stories is the experience of Japanese-American women: women often living in isolation, caught between the traditional world of their husbands and the Western values and identities of their children.

Yoshida, Jim. The Two Worlds of Jim Yoshida.(92/Yoshida) A nisei from Seattle, studying judo in Japan, unluckily finds himself drafted into the Japanese army in WWII.

J. Kushida, ASIJ English teacher, 2000

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