Mizuko: True Spirit

"Mizuko: True Spirit" is an epic American-immigrant tale of hardship, assimilation, and the eventual triumph that ensued. When the Takahashi's, one of the wealthiest families in western Japan lost their great fortune in 1900, five-year old Mizuko Takahashi went from riches to rags. Mizuko's lifetime in Japan and America offers the reader an intimate look into the world of an Asian immigrant. This book is the story of one woman's efforts to surmount racism, sexism, and poverty in the 20th century. Featured is a riveting accounting of the matriarch's life in Manzanar Concentration Camp for three years beginning in 1942. "Mizuko: True Spirit" is required reading for anyone who needs/wants a fuller understanding of the history of minority women in America, the reality of immigrant life, and the unjust incarceration of Japanese people in America during World War II. Family genealogists will be inspired by the detailed descriptions of her and her family in this multi-generational saga. Written in an accessible style for everyone 12 and older, Mizuko's sixty-five years in America presents a rousing and historically important piece of America's past. This book is of interest to those interested in the following: History, Immigration and Immigrant Lives, Women's Issues, Biography, Racism, WWII American Internment Camps, Japanese American History. The book is divided into four parts or 'seasons'. 'Spring' describes Mizuko's birth in Japan (in 1895) and voyage to America in 1911. 'Summer' recounts Mizuko's married and widowed life in America from 1911 to 1941. 'Fall' finds Mizuko taken prisoner and details her life in Manzanar Concentration Camp during WWII. 'Winter' finishes the story, spanning from 1945 until Mizuko's death in 1986. Learn of the Japanese celebration of Girl's Day, what it was like to work as a man on the Pacific railways in the early 1900s, and how a 'Loyalty Oath' in Manzanar threatened to split incarcerated Japanese families apart.