On March 18, 2023, author David Mas Masumoto and artist Patricia Wakida joined us for the launch of their new book “Secret Harvests: A Hidden Story of Separation, Silence, Shame, and the Resilience of a Family Farm.” They were joined in readings, reflections, and discussions by Sean Miura, lead producer of Tuesday Night Cafe.

The JANM Book Club is a series of Public Programs that highlight important new literary works related to Japanese American history and culture.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
I discovered a “lost” aunt, separated from our family due to racism and discrimination against the disabled. She had a mental disability due to childhood meningitis. She was taken away in 1942 when all Japanese Americans were considered the enemy and imprisoned. She then became a “ward” of the state. We believed she had died, but 70 years later found her alive and living a few miles from our family farm. How did she survive? Why was she kept hidden? How did both shame and resilience empower my family to forge forward in a land that did not want them? I am haunted and driven to explore my identity and the meaning of family—especially as farmers tied to the land. I uncover family secrets that bind us to a sense of history buried in the earth that we work and a sense of place that defines us.

AVAILABLE AT THE JANM STORE:
"Secret Harvests: A Hidden Story of Separation, Silence, Shame, and the Resilience of a Family Farm":
https://janmstore.com/products/secret...

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Japanese American National Museum
100 N. Central Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
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