Silver Like Dust: One Family's Story of Japanese Internment

The poignant story of a Japanese-American woman s journey through one of the most shameful chapters in American historyKimi s Obaachan, her grandmother, had always been a silentpresence throughout her youth. Sipping tea by the fire, preparing sushi for the family, or indulgently listening toOjichan s (grandfather s) stories for the thousandth time, Obaachan was a missing link to Kimi s Japanese heritage, something she had had a mixed relationship with all her life.Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, all Kimi ever wanted todo was fit in, spurning traditional Japanese culture and hergrandfather s attempts to teach her the language. But there was one part of Obaachan s life that fascinatedand haunted Kimi her gentle yet proud Obaachan was once a prisoner, along with 112,000 Japanese Americans, for morethan five years of her life. Obaachan never spoke of thoseyears, and Kimi s own mother only spoke of it in whispers. Itwas a source of haji, or shame. But what really happened toObaachan, then a young woman, and the thousands of othermen, women, and children like her? From the turmoil, racism, and paranoia that sprang up afterthe bombing of Pearl Harbor, to the terrifying train rideto Heart Mountain, Silver Like Dust captures a vital chapterof the Japanese-American experience through the journey ofone remarkable woman and the enduring bonds of family."

About the Author :
Kimi Cunningham Grant is the 2009 recipient of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship in creative nonfiction. She lives in central Pennsylvania with her family and is an instructor of English at Penn State University.

Review :
A remarkable book about life in a Japanese internmentcamp and the social and political forces that allowed theirexistence. Kirkus Reviews A portrait of a courageous woman who endured hardshipand later established a delicate balance of trust with hergranddaughter that allowed her to finally tell the family sstory. Booklist For these fundamental violations of the basic civil liberties and constitutional rights of these individuals of Japanese ancestry, we apologize on behalf of the Nation. President Ronald Reagan, August 10, 1988" "A remarkable book about life in a Japanese internment camp and the social and political forces that allowed their existence." --Kirkus Reviews "A portrait of a courageous woman who endured hardship and later established a delicate balance of trust with her granddaughter that allowed her to finally tell the family's story." --Booklist "For these fundamental violations of the basic civil liberties and constitutional rights of these individuals of Japanese ancestry, we apologize on behalf of the Nation." --President Ronald Reagan, August 10, 1988