The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration

An ensemble of five Japanese American narrators perform 68 poignant selections of poetry, essays, fiction, and more, documenting four years of WWII history when 125,000 Japanese American individuals were imprisoned in American concentration camps. Their personal reports, collected by editors Abe (creator of the PBS documentary Conscience and the Constitution) and Cheung (English, Smith Coll.; editor, The Hanging on Union Square) bring their recollections, stories, and writing to light. The collection is divided into three sections, focusing on the time periods before, during, and after the camps. Each selection, whether in verse or prose, makes evident the harsh, dehumanizing conditions that these individuals endured in the isolated camps. The narrators take turns narrating each piece, allowing each writer’s individuality, personality, and talent to shine. The resilience of those once imprisoned is now on record, and one can only hope that this part of U.S. history will never be repeated.