Local author and artist Art Nomura will read from his new book Mizuko: True Spirit on Wednesday, May 31, 2023 from 2 to 3 pm in the Community Room.
“Mizuko: True Spirit” is an epic American-immigrant tale of hardship, assimilation, and the eventual triumph that ensued. When the Takahashi’s, one of the wealthiest families in western Japan lost their great fortune in 1900, five-year old Mizuko Takahashi went from riches to rags. Mizuko’s lifetime in Japan and America offers the reader an intimate look into the world of an Asian immigrant. This book is the story of one woman’s efforts to surmount racism, sexism, and poverty in the 20th century. Featured is a riveting accounting of the matriarch’s life in Manzanar Concentration Camp for three years beginning in 1942.
“Mizuko: True Spirit” is required reading for anyone who needs/wants a fuller understanding of the history of minority women in America, the reality of immigrant life, and the unjust incarceration of Japanese people in America during World War II. Family genealogists will be inspired by the detailed descriptions of her and her family in this multi-generational saga. Written in an accessible style for everyone 12 and older, Mizuko’s sixty-five years in America presents a rousing and historically important piece of America’s past. This book is of interest to those interested in the following: History, Immigration and Immigrant Lives, Women’s Issues, Biography, Racism, WWII American Internment Camps, Japanese American History.
Art Nomura has worked as a painter, sculptor, potter, filmmaker, writer, and New Media artist since 1968. Several of his works have themes directly connected to the Asian American experience. His work has screened on PBS, cable, and in festivals, galleries, museums, and universities worldwide. Nomura has taught media production and writing since 1981.He is Professor Emeritus in Film/TV Production at the School of Film and Television, Loyola Marymount University.
