| |
My Nisei Story: A Journey of Great Satisfaction
What was it like to be an American Citizen of Japanese descent living in California at the time of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor? Would you like to know what it was like to go from 1-A Selective Service classification to 4-C classification? Do you know what it was like to be forced into a U.S. concentration camp as an American citizen? You can by reading the book My Nisei Story: A Journey of Great Satisfaction.
Do you want to know what it was like to attain the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America and then meet with racial discrimination? Would you be curious to learn the number of Distinguished Service Cross Medals awarded to Japanese American (Nisei) soldiers that were upgraded to the Congressional Medal of Honor on June 21, 2000? What happened to the thousands of other heroism medals that were awarded to Japanese American soldiers in WW II?
Can you imagine what it would be like to attend college, do well and graduate knowing you would be facing profiling when looking for a job?
Would you be curious to know what was required to build a successful intermarriage while raising biracial children, the traits each spouse should possess to make their marriage truly happy and compatible? How does an individual undergo obstacles, overcome them and yet not become bitter? How can a Japanese American citizen forced into an internment camp still love his country, see the bright side of life and share it with his loyal, loving supportive Caucasian wife?
To learn the answer to these questions and to understand the difficult circumstances of the Japanese internment experiences first hand, get your hands on the book that offers it all in a compelling chronicle: My Nisei Story: A Journey of Great Satisfaction by K. Jack Sameshima. He lived these questions and found the answers which he shares openly with the reader. You will be fascinated and uplifted in the process of following his chronicle. And, no doubt you will find some answers to your own puzzling questions as you experience Sameshima's true-life Nisei story, a journey of great satisfaction.
And importantly, read how his wife had to quit school in the 10th grade to help her father keep his family together during the "Great 1930's Depression."
Throughout this web site are various pictures; some taken from the book, and others from the author's personal resources. |
|
| |
California newspapers
announcing imminent
evacuation. |
|
|
| |
Barracks; Heart M'tn., WY; desolate and barren. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
ISBN: 978-0-9789084-0-9
Nisei Author Shares His Satisfying Journey
"When K. Jack Sameshima's parents immigrated to the United States, his fate and his Nisei journey - were sealed. In his engaging first book, a memoir in chronicle form, My Nisei Story: A Journey of Great Satisfaction, Jack Sameshima looks back over his life's experiences and records the story from 1918 to
2001. What I appreciate most as a Caucasian American who was not responsible for the internments or the racial trouble, and yet somehow regrets this treatment, is that he looks at his experience with positive heart and is thankful for the outcome and the road his life followed because of it. He struggled, but he persevered. He holds no animosity. Because of his experience, he was led to meet his true love - a young American woman named Etta. Together they raised a family and remained happily married for over fifty years, until her recent death. Through his memoir, Jack Sameshima reminds us of the importance of American democracy and the role played by the individual citizen. His firsthand chronicle of life in a Japanese internment camp, though a chilling event in American history, leads Sameshima through his journey of great satisfaction. Jack and Etta find that interracial marriage can work with optimism, determination, and loyalty. In these pages, I followed Jack Sameshima's journey and found clarity as he discovered what truly matters in life. Throughout this journey, Sameshima maintains his great love and respect for American ways and the American people. I, in turn, respect and admire this fine, gentle man who found love and patriotism when hate and fear guided the times that surrounded him."
-MaryAnn F. Kohl, Author and Publisher
|
PRONUNCIATION AND THE INTERPRETATION OF JAPANESE WORDS
Issei is the word namely used for Japanese immigrants in the United States. Issei is pronounced like in Ee/say, two syllables.
Nisei is the word for the children (2nd generation) borne of the Issei, in the United States. Nisei is pronounced like in Nee/say, two syllables.
Practically all Japanese words and names can be pronounced by ending syllables on vowels. The vowels are accented with a light short sound and weighted evenly. Syllable examples: Sa/me/shi/ma/ ; Hi/ro/shi/ma; O/ki/na/wa. Pronunciation examples: Sah/meh/she/mah ; Hee/rho/she/mah ; Oh/key/nah/wah |
If you would like to contact the author by email, he would love to hear from you.
kjsam@earthlink.net
|
