Nisei Daughter

by Monica Itoi Sone, S. Frank Miyamoto (Introduction)

With charm, humor, and deep understanding, a Japanese-American woman tells how it was to grow up on Seattle's waterfront in the 1930s and to be subjected to "relocation" during World War II. Along with some 120,000 other persons of Japanese ancestry—77,000 of whom were U.S. citizens—she and her family were uprooted from their home and imprisoned in a camp. In this book, first published in 1952, she provides a unique personal account of these experiences.

Replaced by ISBN 9780295993553

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Japan, World War II, Asian American

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1979

About the author

Monica Sone (September 1, 1919 – September 5, 2011), born Kazuko Itoi, was a Japanese American writer, best known for her 1953 autobiographical memoir Nisei Daughter, which tells of the Japanese American experience in Seattle during the 1920s and 1930s, and in the World War II internment camps and which is an important text in Asian American and Women's Studies courses.

Sone grew up in Seattle, where her parents, immigrants from Japan, managed a hotel. Like many Japanese American children, her education included American classes and extra, Japanese cultural courses;' later,she and her family visited Japan. In her late teens, she contracted tuberculosis and spent nine months at Firland Sanitarium with future best selling author of The Egg and I, Betty MacDonald.

During World War II, she and her family were interned at Puyallup Civilian Assembly Center and at the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Hunt, Idaho. In 1942, Sone was allowed to leave the camp to attend Wendell College in Indiana, where she lived with a white family. She finished her degree at Hanover College and eventually received a master's degree in clinical psychology from Case Western Reserve University.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic account of what it was like to be a second-generation Japanese (Nisei) living in Seattle around WWII. The author tells us about her family life before the war, her experience with TB, and a visit to Japan to see extended family (and the historical context on why her extended family could not visit them in the US). Of special interest to those of us who live in Seattle is the local history - for example, I learned a lot about the development of what is today the International District, but was then Japan Town and China Town, two separate districts. The climax of the book, of course, is the family's relocation to a Internment Camp during WWII; we also learn of the 'reintegration' of the family back to US society after the war.
What is amazing to me is that Sone can write this as objectively as she does - certainly the story comes to us through her eyes and her perspective, but I would expect more bitterness from someone who was forcibly relocated because of paranoia over her ancestry. Instead Sone tries to explain the paranoia, and the reasons for the actions of those who acted against her.
This is the type of history that I really love, and find very accessible to those not buried in the the intricacies of the field - stories of real people, which tell us what the past was actually like. Sone places her own biography into historical context, so that we understand why things are happening the way they are.

[Nancy Loe · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gift for writing Monica Sone has - this book is quite my favorite of the genre. And if you've ever wondered what became of the vivid fellow patient "Kimi" in Betty MacDonald's book, The Plague and I, about being treated for TB in the 1930s, here is your answer for Monica is "Kimi."

The injustice of being interned during WWII was so well written. It made me ashamed of my country all over again.

This is the kind of book that makes me wish I knew the author in real life. Highly recommended.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming memoir of the author's experience growing up as a second-generation Japanese woman in Seattle in the 1920s and 30s, including her family's time in an internment camp during WWII. So many facets to this story: her life as the child of immigrants, her affection for her loving and quirky family, and her struggle with her identity--she didn't feel Japanese, yet she also felt rejected by Americans.

She recalls her time in the camps without bitterness. I'm sure she must have tamped down any strong negative feelings when writing this, as the memoir may not have been published in its day if she had been highly critical of the US government.

I learned about this book when I read the biography Looking for Betty MacDonald. Monico Itoi Stone is none other than Betty's roommate, Kimi, in The Plague and I. Betty and "Kimi" remained friends after their discharge from the sanitarium, and Betty encouraged "Kimi" to write a memoir.

[K. Lincoln · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monica Sone grew up in a hotel on Seattle's Skid Row just before World War II.

And she didn't know she was Japanese until her mother told her at dinner one night while she was still in elementary school. That night she also learned she would have to attend "Nihon Gakko" (Japanese language school).

We accompany Monica as she learns how to sit quietly, obey the strict school teachers, and experience the Japanese culture her Issei parents could provide her there in Seattle. They went to undokai (sports festival) and did three-legged races and zany relays while eating yellow pickled radish, fried chicken, and rice balls.

Monica takes you along as her family travels to Japan, and she experiences the culture of her parents for the first time, where she is too big, too loud, and the baths are too hot.

The narrative is presented simply, without judgement, just the experience of a girl figuring out who she is and who she is not in each of the changing situations: public school, Nihon Gakko, and Japan.

Until Pearl Harbor.

As her family's experience of waiting for the FBI to take away her father (as so many other Japanese males in and around Skid Row), being sent to Pullayup with just one seabag and her mother's jug of shoyu, and then on to Idaho's internment Camp Minidoka, a little of the adult author's broader knowledge of the government-legislated racism creeps into the narrative. And yet, the privations of Camp Minidoka- the latrines, the terrible food, the cramped quarters- are described simply, without anger or bitterness. And this somehow made it all the more terrible for me to read.

The book ends just as Monica and her siblings find their way out of the camp on "permanent leave" to their destinies, but we still get a taste of the post-war difficulties and prejudice Nisei had to face, as well as the little drops of kindness non-Japanese friends showed in helping them find jobs or saving property or belongings while Monica's family was in the camp.

Very interesting and valuable book. Focusing on one girl's experience as her life unfolds was far more interesting and real than any removed recitation of Japanese-American experience during that time. Once in a while the dialogue between family members got a bit stilted and "condensed", but otherwise easily readable.

This Book's Snack Rating: Trader Joe's savory thin edamame crackers for marrying a pleasing full-bodied salty flavor to a cracker easily palatable to mainstream USians with an underlying edamame flavor of Nisei experience.

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hilarious & historical biography that gives the reader a peek into the nuances of Japanese/-American culture on the West coast/Seattle pre & during the WWII 'evacuations'. It's hopeful, wise & instructive and the author does an excellent job of immersing the reader in her identity as someone both in the minority & the majority of her/our culture. Highly recommend!

[sofaspace · Rating 4 out of 5]

“What was I doing behind a fence like a criminal? If there were accusations to be made, why hadn’t I been given a fair trial? Maybe I wasn’t considered an American anymore. My citizenship wasn’t real, after all. Then what was I?”

“Of one thing I was sure. The wire fence was real. I no longer had the right to walk out of it. It was because I had Japanese ancestors. It was also because some people had little faith in the ideas and ideals of democracy. They said that after all these were but words and could not possibly insure loyalty. New laws and camps were surer devices.”

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kazuko was born here in Seattle, along with her 3 siblings, but her parents were both immigrants from Japan. (Issei is 1st genereation, Nisei is 2nd generation) They lived for a time in the hotel that her parents owned and operated, but were eventually able to move into an apartment and later a house. There was a lot of racial stigmatism and it only got worse in the late 30's. Then Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Kazuko and her family were forced to move to "Camp Harmony" at the Puyallup fairgrounds and then to Camp Minidoka in Idaho. After a year there, she was able to move east and live with a family in the midwest, work for a while and then go back to college.
A fascinating introspective look into a horrible time in US history.

[Ko Matsuo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is such an interesting book. It's a first hand account of a Japanese American woman who experienced the internment camps during World War II. Her account highlights the mixed reactions at the time - some extreme racism vs some very sympathetic folk. She paints a matter of fact picture of life in the internment camps. No complaining, no bitterness, no desire for revenge, despite the financial strain and discomfort. It highlights quite a different time in history.

[Selena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-reading for research purposes. I'm fairly certain that her brother Henry's friend Jack Okada is John Okada. Further research is needed.

[Max · Rating 2 out of 5]

It felt surface level and lacked depth. Not my favorite book about internment out of the ones I've read...

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

True rating: 4,5

I've been reading quite the amount of books on relocation/concentration camps in America, but this one gave me a new perspective altogether. I can see why my professor at University chose this book to be presented, instead of another.

Firstly, I have to underline that this book delves into the ambivalence between the Issei and Nisei. Right from the beginning one notices certain differences, be it in traditions, religion, or the concept of social etiquette. Where the Issei acted fully Japanese, the Nisei split and began to act more American (even though they grew up in a surrounding of other Nisei and Issei). It seemed as though a remarkable difference built its way and was underlined by the passage of their Japan trip and their first contact with the "cult" revolving around the Emperor.

Secondly, it's important to differentiate. While "Desert Exile" was a run-through about the experience in the camps with all of its details, this poses as a tale about how a Nisei can embrace not only their American but also their Japanese identity, without feeling resentful towards either side. It operates on the level of national identity, instead of historical significance. An interesting read for sure!

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed this book. I don’t know how I’ve lived my life knowing so little about this part of history, but this was an excellent account. I absolutely loved learning about Monica’s family and how they remained so loving and kind through such tremendous hardship. I didn’t even realize for much of this that it was a true story of her life, but it was lovely. Beautiful people leaving in an ugly part of history.

[Mad Hapa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars for any reader, five stars if you are Japanese American. The author shares what life was like growing up in Seattle in the 30s and 40s.

[Vada · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an interesting view on the Japanese-American relocation camps during WWII. However, I felt like she ended the book very soon, and didn't answer a few questions about what happened after they got out. Other than that, it was really intriguing to read about the culture and habits of Japanese-Americans during this time.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, Nisei Daughter by Monica Sone, is an very interesting and historical, and has a unique writing style that makes it enjoyable to read. The book contained great historical facts about Kazuko and her family. Sone also did a terrific job when adding her own stories into this book. She wrote the book based on her own experiences as a child which tie in greatly with the overall story. The book contains intriguing events that makes me continue reading. The dialogue that is in the story keeps me at the edge of my seat to find out what's going to happen next. Lastly, Sone's writing style in the book is visual and colorful. While reading the book, it is like a movie in my head. Her detail into each event makes it fun to read.
The historical context that the book contains is understandable and is pleasing to read. While reading this book, I learn multiple details about the Japanese culture and the Japanese community in Seattle. There were a number of times where I personally learned about the Japanese culture. At one point, Japan passed an immigration law that prevented all Orientals from migrating over to America in 1942. This policy led to the visit of Kazuko's family grandfather in Japan because he was unable to migrate over unlike Kazuko’s family.
The book also made me to continue reading. In many parts of the dialogue, Sone makes it a mystery through events in the book. This style keeps you more involved in the book and makes it fun to read! At one point when Kazuko fell in love with dance, she begged her father to let her take ballet lessons. Over and over again she pleaded with him to let her go. In the story, the arguments she has with her father makes me want to find out if she was able to take those ballet lessons she dreamed off.
Nisei Daughter also creates great detailed images. The story paints beautiful pictures from Sone’s descriptive and colorful writing style. While reading the story, I could picture every character precisely with every detail given. When her father was taken to jail for a crime that he did not commit, Kazuko had great aggression towards the police. The feelings that she had were really shown through each word in the book.
Overall, this book is a great read. Never would I have thought that I would like this book as much as I did. Nisei Daughter’s historical context, intriguing writing style, and slight mystery makes it a great book.

[Austen to Zafón · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of this book, but picked it up off a display table at my local used-book shop. Turns out it has often been used in Asian studies classes and it's easy to see why. Sone writes simply, but with great detail, beginning with realizing that she is Japanese at age 6 to coping with life in an internment camp during WWII. She personalizes the Nisei experience, making it accessible and engaging.

In addition to learning about what life was like as a Japanese American between the wars and during internment, I learned about what Seattle was like during that time, especially the area we now call the International District. During her childhood, it was divided into China Town and Japan Town. Her father owned a hotel on skid row, housing mostly single men who did manual labor on the waterfront. At a time when kids could run around without supervision, she saw and remembered so much, most of it pretty colorful!

Over the years, there has been some criticism that she was too nice, glossing over the racism and the injustice Japanese immigrants and Nisei experienced. I think that she was trying to make sure that white people would read it and not just decide it was too grim or exaggerated to bother with or believe. There are pros and cons to that, but she chose what she chose and I think it's still very much a worthwhile read, as a supplement to other books about the lives of Japanese immigrants. And she does bring up things that make it clear that racism is there. Her father is arrested for no reason, her mother struggles to find anyone in Alki who will rent them a summer place. And then of course, the internment. But through it all, her focus is on her family life and her irrepressible high spirits in the face of the cultural push for girls to be quiet and demure.

I will say that one benefit of the tack she chose is that it's a great book for kids. Most of the book takes place during her pre-war childhood and much of it is funny and fascinating. I loved her stories about picnics, school, holidays, and entertaining Japanese sailors who came into town on huge ships. My son enjoyed the stories.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sone's book is really a collection of memoir essays. There are some that could be read independently from the rest, and when read together, they flow roughly as chapters chronologically. I expected this book to be centered around the Japanese internment, but that part only fills the final four chapters. The first eight chapters detail the author's life before WWII growing up as a second generation American of Japanese heritage in Seattle.

The essays are very enjoyable to read, and Sone handles incidents of racism and discrimination with deftness and a skilled hand. She's an excellent writer. Sometimes the writing seemed to be a bit too on the optimistic side, but at other times, she captures in a fleeting moment a much darker and complex current of human nature and society. For example, when she travels as a girl to Japan for the first time to meet her extended family there, she encounters her supremely refined and selfish cousin. After slapping her cousin during a spat between them, she states, "Although I was not sorry I had slapped my cousin, it had been an odd sensation. It was like striking a sack of flour. There had been no resistance or angry response, only a quiet crumbling away" (94). I wished Sone would dive deeper into these moments, but perhaps their effect is strengthened by the fact that she doesn't linger on them.

The book was excellent, but towards the end, there were some odd overtones of collusion with the American government's abuse of the Japanese's and Japanese-Americans' civil and human rights. In the very last chapter, Sone says, "I used to think of the government as a paternal organization. When it failed me, I felt bitter and sullen. Now I know I'm just as responsible as the men in Washington for its actions" (237). Talk about a loaded statement. Granted, Sone wrote this book in 1953, a full decade before the Civil Rights Movement and not very long after the war. However, since Sone went on to become a clinical psychologist, I'd love to read a current analysis of these statements by an older Sone.

[Friend of Pixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this memoir to my son in bits and pieces, between other books. It works well for that because each chapter is a different episode in her life and while she does get older throughout the book, it isn't necessary to remember every detail to keep reading.

I was an adult before I'd even heard of the internment of American citizens of Japanese descent. It was not taught in school in my day (I graduated in 1983). It came as a shock. My son was surprised too, although not as much, as we have read quite a few books about how non-white people have been treated in this country and he's aware that we've treated them poorly, cruelly, and without compassion. Still makes him angry, just not surprised.

He enjoyed Sone's story, especially as much of it is funny, engaging, and takes place in a town we know well, Seattle. The story of the Japanese community picnic, with the careful descriptions of the anticipation, the food, the games, and the behavior was one of his favorite parts. We also enjoyed her visit to Japan to meet her grandparents, and how while she didn't feel she fit in in the US, she didn't feel entirely comfortable in Japan either. And I must say, I loved her outgoing and curious nature. She's a bit of a kick-ass girl, always questioning and pushing the social envelope, which was quite restrictive for women, especially in Japan.

This book has been used in Asian studies courses since in came out in the 1950s and while it's received some criticism for glossing over some of the racism and cruelty, I think that makes it a good fit for younger kids. I think kids as young as 8 would enjoy the first 2/3 of the book, about her childhood. They might be a bit bored by the chapters where Sone is an adult, but those are the chapters that deal with the camp and her move to the midwest (Nisei were allowed to leave the camps before the war was over, as long as they didn't move to the west coast). But at 13, my son did find those chapters interesting.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a sucker for internment camp memoirs – this is a good one. Actually, very little of it takes place in the camp; Monica Sone (who grew up as Kazuko Itoi) describes her childhood in Seattle, the pull between traditional Japanese customs and American culture, along with the growing tensions leading toward World War II. She was in her early twenties when her family was sent to a temporary camp in Puyallup, Washington, eventually landing at Camp Minidoka in Idaho.

As the war went on and security in internment camps became more relaxed for Nisei occupants, Kaz was first allowed to move to Chicago, living with a Caucasian family and working for a dentist. After a short time there, she was accepted at Wendell College in Indiana to continue her college education, which had been interrupted by the war. Her older brother and younger sister left the camp for employment and educational opportunities shortly thereafter. Their parents were required to stay in the camp; they wanted to return to Seattle, and therefore had to wait longer than most until the west coast was again open to Issei. Their father died in 1949, but her mother was finally granted American citizenship in the late 1970s.

Engaging writing, with many examples of how the second generation viewed themselves as American, but learned as they moved toward adulthood that their much of their country did not think the same way.

[QQJJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this lovely memoir about growing up Japanese-American in Seattle before and during WWII. Being familiar with the Seattle area, I loved learning about the history of the neighborhoods and the thriving Japanese community before the war. The author was a teen during this time, so we hear about public school, the Japanese language school that all the children had to attend after school, local businesses, and food--the yummy food. The trip the family took to visit Japan in the 1930s was also fascinating and heartbreaking. I picked up this book to learn more about life in internment, but this was actually a relatively small part of the book. Being a well-educated young woman, the author didn't stay in the camps as long as others did (for example, her parents). She was able to find a (white) sponsor and move to the Midwest, even though the camps were still in operation in the West. The undertones of racism are threaded throughout, both before Pearl Harbor and after, but the memoir is not a deep examination of how racism affected the author and her family, but more about how life continued. The prefaces and introductions focused more on the deeper societal and political issues than the bulk of the book. Overall, it was well-written and a good glimpse into Japanese-American history through the eyes of one young woman.

[ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a piece that, without a doubt, calls for rigorous unpacking of the historical and political context in which it takes place. i think everyone who reads this will recognize that you can't just discuss this text without bringing in issues of race, war, language, and gender. you can write essays on Nisei Daughter, and i'm certain it's been referenced many, many times in asian american research, so i'm just going to offer, in addition, my personal experience of reading this book -- it's wild. not in a sensational way but more like it's wild how Monica manages to write up this first-person account of before and during and after WW2, including her experience in camp, with so much lightness in her tone, and such a hopeful, human conclusion. i think that's the most important thing about this memoir: to realize it first and foremost as a personal account of a human who wants to put her humanity first before her politicized identity/ies. perhaps it's by holding on to this humanity in her that she's able to remain so very hopeful.

[Karen K - Ohio · Rating 5 out of 5]

My library is participating in the One Book, One Community program and as a library employee I was happy to read this book and to support this excellent program. The author lives in a neighboring city and I look forward to meeting her at one of the seventeen special events and book discussion sessions planned for the program.
The first half of the book is a touching and humorous account of a young girl growing up in Seattle, raised by loving parents who happen to be Japanese immigrants. Ni means second and Sei is generation.
The second part of the book is heartbreaking as the author and her family face discrimination and prejudice and eventual evacuation to concentration camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor. But even their incarceration is told with humor and optimism.

[Mario Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing read, and I could not put this book down during the entire summer. It was extremely gut-torturing at times, especially when I read about her times in the concentration camps with her family, yet it made me happy for Kazuko and her family when I read about her good times in Seattle. This book was a real eye-opener for me, as I was aware of the Japanese concentration camps here in Seattle, but I did not receive much education about it back home in California. This book would be a great teaching tool for children of minority status, and for others as well for the sake of building empathy for others. By far, this book was my favorite book of this summer and I would recommend it to anyone above the middle school level.

[Cerealflakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and interesting memoir about growing up an immigrant family in Seattle during the 1930s and 40s. The author's parents were Japanese immigrants, so the family had to go through the terrible Japanese Internment. The author went into a lot of detail about her family's experience.

I learned about this book from a biography about Betty MacDonald. The two met when they were recovering from tuberculosis in a North Seattle sanatorium. Sone didn't talk about this experience at all, aside from a quick sentence about recovery. I read the MacDonald book about the experience, The Plague and I, and MacDonald talked about quite a bit about her roommate, Sone.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Kimi" from THE PLAGUE AND I wrote a book! It's funny and brusque and exactly as ambivalent about being relocated to an internment camp for Japanese Americans during WWII as you might expect it to be. The strongest emotions in this book are for food. Originally published in 1953, there is a nascent description of "maki-zushi" that sounds like a Good Housekeeping recipe that is about as exotic as a novelty recipe for "Frankfurter Cake." Betty Macdonald got Kazuko her book deal and in fact gave her the idea to write a book in the first place. So also read The Plague and I by Betty Macdonald.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned much from this book. I was astounded at the light-hearted perspective of the writer, a 2nd generation Japanese woman who grew up in Seattle pre-and during WWII. Its 1952 pub date pretty well explains her upbeat stance and coverage of the prejudices; I'm guessing that a critical, blaming accounting wouldn't have had a chance at that point in time. Nonetheless, it's a fascinating view of Seattle at that point in time. And from what I've read, her positivity may well have been a deep and true vein in Ms. Itoi.

[Emerson Rensink · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great memoir by a second-generation Japanese immigrant ("Nisei") whose family was part of the West Coast's forced removal and internment of all people with any Japanese ancestry, including American citizens, during World War II. It's striking how similar sentiments are still today towards immigrants, even second-generation, e.g. the "Dreamers." This book is approachable, easy to read, and about as politically neutral as I think a book of this type could get. I definitely recommend.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have read "The Plague and I" and thought that Kimi was the real hero of the book, this is the memoir of the real Kimi, whose name was changed by Betty MacDonald. There's some interesting history from Seattle's pre-WWII years and fascinating observations about being a child of immigrants. Of course given geography and history, most readers will know where things are headed (to Camp Harmony and then Camp Minidoka). All I can say is that the author is far more forgiving than I would be.

[Danice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written book. Kazuko Monica Itoi Sone reflects on her experience growing up as an American born to two Japanese immigrants. This book follows her childhood through her young adulthood, filled with a memorable range of experiences. The charm found in how she reflects upon how she found harmony and embraces her identity as a Japanese-American.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great memoirs of second-generation daughter of a Japanese family in Calif. during WW II. Camp life, etc.