Join Densho on ポルノ映画の看板の下で mp3Tuesday, May 11, at 5 p.m. Pacific for the official launch of “Facing the Mountain,” a new book about World War II Japanese American incarceration and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team by Daniel James Brown, **New York Times** bestselling author of “The Boys in the Boat.”
The virtual event will feature a conversation between Brown and Densho Executive Director Tom Ikeda, who has conducted oral histories with many of the men highlighted in the book. “Facing the Mountain” grew out of conversations Brown had with Ikeda in 2015.
“Facing the Mountain” is an unforgettable chronicle of wartime America and the battlefields of Europe. Based on Brown’s extensive interviews with the families of the protagonists as well as deep archival research, it portrays the kaleidoscopic journey of four Japanese American families and their sons. While some fought on battlefields as members of the 442nd, others fought to defend the constitutional rights of a community.
Regardless of where their battles played out, these individuals were exemplifying American patriotism under extreme duress by striving, resisting, standing on principle, and enduring.
“‘Facing the Mountain’ embodies the sort of far-reaching creative work that we dreamed would be possible when Densho was founded 25 years ago,” said Ikeda. “The book draws upon the stories and words of Japanese American elders and ancestors to tell this history in a way that can reach vast audiences. Daniel James Brown has an exceptional ability to tell compelling, people-centered stories. He humanizes this part of history for a population of readers that may be learning about it for the first time.
“‘Facing the Mountain’ comes to us during a time of deep unrest, a time when our empathy for others is so needed to guide the choices we will make. This book will open hearts.”
The book can be pre-ordered from Densho’s partner booksellers:
Honolulu — Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai’i
Los Angeles — Vroman’s Bookstore
San Francisco —?Book Passage
Seattle — Elliott Bay Book Company, University Book Store
To register for the event, go to: https://densho.org/mountain/