02 Mar / Yokohama, California by Toshio Mori [in What Do I Read Next? Multicultural Literature]
A collection of short stories about the Japanese Americans who live on and around Seventh Street, in the fictional community of Yokohama, a small town somewhere in California. The stories capture the spirit of the town’s residents, from immigrants to the American-born, living and surviving together in a foreign land.
Yokohama, California is the first collection of short stories ever published by a Japanese American. The publication of the original edition was delayed for several years because of the imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and finally appeared post-war with an introduction by literary legend William Saroyan who referred to Mori as “one of the most important new writers in the country.” The second edition of the collection, published posthumously in 1985, offered a new introduction by Lawson Fusao Inada. Tragically, only after Mori’s death were his stories and writings “discovered” and taken seriously; he lived, wrote, and died in virtual obscurity.
Review: “Asian American Titles,” What Do I Read Next? Multicultural Literature, Gale Research, 1997
Readers: Adult
Published: 1949, 1985