38 pages • 1 hour read
Desert Exile
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In the Introduction, Yamamoto writes that Desert Exile “links the affirmation of Issei strength with the unconstitutional context in which that courage became legible.” What does Yamamoto mean by “courage became legible,” and in what way does the book fit this description?
Uchida discusses feeling fully American as a child and after incarceration not feeling truly Japanese or fully American. What makes her feel this way?
How does Yoshiko Uchida’s sense of what it means to be Japanese American shift as she experiences life interned?
Explain how Mrs. Uchida’s knitting changes from life as president of the Women’s Society at the local church to while she is interned. Why is this change significant?
The Uchida family values stem from a mix of traditional Japanese ethics and Christian ethics. Describe some of these cross-cultural values and how they are demonstrated in the book.
What has Uchida’s story revealed to you about Japanese-American incarceration during World War II you may not have known before?
How are the two internment camps where Uchida is held different from one another?
What is Uchida’s reason for writing this memoir?
Is there still a divide between the history of Japanese Americans’ World War II incarceration and the American public’s awareness of it? If so, how can this divide be lessened?
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By Yoshiko Uchida
