The Evacuation Diary of Hatsuye Egami Egami, Hatsuye and Gorfinkel, Claire E.

Product Description Unique in the literature of "the internment" because it is an actual diary written by an Issei [first generation] Japanese American woman, this intimate account conveys the reality of one woman's 1942 experience. Wrenched from their tranquil Pasadena community, Mrs. Egami, her husband and their four children struggle with unfamiliar, primitive, overcrowded camp conditions at Tulare Assembly Center in the Central Valley of California. Mrs. Egami describes the family's sense of integration in Pasadena before Pearl Harbor, and the indignities they endure as they become accustomed to life in "camp". At the same time, she is consistently able to find small measures of hope and beauty, even in the harsh camp surroundings, as she observes children, flowers, religious and social events, and the behaviors of her new neighbors. Claire Gorfinkel's introduction to the Diary describes the surprising events that led to its discovery and publication. It also includes powerful commentary on the historic injustice of the internment, and a reminder to remain vigilant against future injustices. From Publishers Weekly In 1942, 120,000 people of Japanese descent in America (two-thirds of whom were American citizens) were sent to internment camps for the duration of WW II. This diary by an issei (first-generation Japanese) woman recounts three months of her family's ordeal, starting with the dehumanizing evacuation day in her hometown of Pasadena, Calif., during which, she notes, "We are no longer 'Egamis' but the number 23324." Of unique historical rather than literary value (Egami admits to "feelings of lack of ability as a writer"), the diary evokes daily life at Tulare Assembly Center, a 5000-person internment camp in Central California, with unstudied simplicity. The family's room consists of a cement-floored barracks furnished with cots; the women's latrine, in which "the cloak of modesty must be shed," horrifies her daughters; and the monotony of camp life is broken by diversions like a talent show and a popular Fourth of July parade. Egami's optimism leads her to compare the camp to a kind of social utopia, its members free of "selfish, ego, or cunning." Nevertheless, the diary's most provocative moment comes when one realizes that her final patriotic call for "an attitude of humility and faith toward acquiring this privilege [American citizenship]" is dated July 1942, nearly three years before her family's release. The editor's introduction explains how the diary was published after being preserved for decades by two separate individuals; original pencil-drawings, maps and photographs help resuscitate further particulars from this alarming chapter in American history. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. Review "The Evacuation Diary; not the typical Issei shigataganai [it cannot be helped]. With respect to the mass exclusion and detention of Japanese Americans, diaries are rare. Diaries of Issei translated into English are rarer still. Egami's writing unlocks many insights into the world of a 40-year-old Baptist-Issei mother of three girls and a boy who lived through the trauma of exile-detention. I cannot commend Claire Gorfinkel enough for her work of editing the text and her dedication in causing this diary to be published." -- William Horhi, Rafu Shimpo [Japanese American Newspaper], Los Angeles 11/28/95"This diary by an issei (first-generation Japanese) woman recounts three months of her family's ordeal..." -- Publishers Weekly, January 15, 1996"This short poignant books brings to life a seldom heard piece of history - the U.S. government's internment of 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans during World War II. The introduction gives the historical context as well as explaining the personal connection between Claire Gorfinkel and this diary which was given to her during her preparations for an American Friends Service Committee exhibit '50 Years Later: Remembering the Japanese