Publisher Description

A memoir in short stories, this book chronicles the life of accomplished writer, playwright, poet, and actor Hiroshi Kashiwagi. In this dynamic portrait of an ageing writer trying to remember himself as a younger man, Kashiwagi recalls and reflects upon the moments, people, forces, mysteries, and choices -- the things in his life that he cannot forget -- that have made him who he is. Central to this collection are Kashiwagis internment at Tule Lake during World War II, his choice to answer "no" and "no" to questions 27 and 28 on the official government loyalty questionnaire, and the resulting life-long stigma of being labelled a "No-No Boy" after his years of incarceration. His non-linear, multi-faceted writing not only reflects the fragmentations of memory induced by traumas of racism, forced removal, and incarceration but also can be read as a bold personal response to the impossible conditions he and other Nisei faced throughout their lifetimes.

Author Biography

Hiroshi Kashiwagi is a Nisei writer, playwright, actor, and the winner of the American Book Award in 2005 for Swimming in the American: A Memoir and Selected Writings.

Review

It is in fact everything that Kashiwagi doesnt say, everything between the lines of his pen, everything hovering so delicately above the narrative, that is so heartbreaking and painful ... These stories recuperate from erasure the history of Japanese American immigration and wartime internment, especially that of the Tule Lake incarceration, and the sensibilities and trauma of a Nisei whose long life, creative talents, and desire to write have allowed him to reflect on this past. Karen Tei Yamashita, University of California, Santa Cruz "When you're listening to Nisei talk, you'll hear the phrase, 'Before the war...', followed by a momentary pause or silence. Hiroshi Kashiwagi fills that silence with a rich and evocative narrative voice rooted in the American literary landscape named Loomis." Shawn Wong, University of Washington

Review Quote

"When you're listening to Nisei talk, you'll hear the phrase, 'Before the war...', followed by a momentary pause or silence. Hiroshi Kashiwagi fills that silence with a rich and evocative narrative voice rooted in the American literary landscape named Loomis." Shawn Wong, University of Washington

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