NISEI DAUGHTER

A very special kind of American tells the story of her growing up, child of two cultures, and how her experiences finally led her to appreciate her dual heritage. Monica's parents were Japanese by birth, and in their hotel on the Seattle waterfront- a very respectable skidrow- Japanese life was carried on with schools, cooking, visits, manners tuned to the old culture. This life Monica tells of, and she tells of a visit to Japan where she felt truly American, of the wall of prejudice against which she often snubbed her nose, of the terrible war years when she and her neighbors were shunted into detention camps in the interior, of her final emerging as a young woman given the chance for education and participation in American life. Her story is told with a kind of warm calm- in itself a blend of her heritage, and it extends beyond herself to give a picture of a group of people. This may have a regional audience in the Northwest, and will reach students everywhere.