In researching the Nisei (person born in US to Japanese immigrants) experience during World War II, I had the opportunity to travel to Oahu (rough, I know). One of my first visits was to the Japanese Cultural Center in Honolulu. Hearing about the internment camp experiences was humbling. The Japanese Cultural Center is a beautiful facility that allows you to “walk the streets” of Honolulu through different time periods leading up to World War II and post-World War II. While there, there was a hustle and bustle of young kids on field trips, along with visitors and tourists who wanted to know more about the island during World War II and how the Pearl Harbor attack changed the course of history for the entire nation.

I love research (especially when you get to travel for it) and I hope that I can transfer the sentiment of the 1940s and the events surrounding World War II in Becoming American. Reading massive amounts of books from the war period helped, but to hear the stories and emotion from those who had family members who were affected, was the story I was looking for. And even more so, I’ve developed friends who have been so supportive and helpful in my journey as a writer. I can’t thank these wonderful women enough (and Ken too, the Japanese Cultural Center Bookstore Manager), for taking the time to enthusiastically share their knowledge with Freddy and me.