TAKOMA PARK, Md: RnB Press has announced the new broad availability of Photographic Memories: A Story of Shinjitsu as a resource for teaching the story of both unjust internment and patriotic resolve of Japanese in the United States during World War II.
We are thrilled to be able to share Photographic Memories A Story of Shinjitsu through schools, independent bookstores, museums and libraries nationwide, said co-author, Risa Shimoda.
Kristjana Eyjolfsson, Education Director at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, the site of the incarceration of Midori Shimoda, the subject of the book, notes this provides a human perspective on a period of American History that is internationally significant. She continues, Although Shinjitsu represents a tragic reality that affected Japanese and Japanese Americans across the West Coast, it also tells a story that is uniquely Midori's. The personal nature of this book hooks the reader in a way that a traditional history book cannot. We travel along the dark highways with Midori as he tries to get safely away from the West Coast. We square our shoulders with him and prepare to make the best of a new situation, and feel his frustration and anguish when the government refuses to understand his needs.
From an educator's perspective, Shinjitsu is a valuable tool for upper middle school and high school learners. Written in clear prose, with short chapters and amusing dialog, this book is an accessible approach to a difficult topic. Paired with classroom discussion, Midori's story can literally put a human face on a dark part of history, and while dealing with an unjust and tragic time, also shows the power of the human spirit to follow one's dreams.
Authors Risa Shimoda and Bob Fleshner utilized Risa's mother's diaries and memories, government documents, research, and interviews to uncover the details of a tumultuous time in US history that unjustly imprisoned 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans.
