FACING THE MOUNTAIN

A gripping history of Japanese American fortitude in the face of racism and incarceration during World War II.

Hudson’s adaptation of Brown’s acclaimed 2021 adult original depicts the experiences of four young Japanese American men against a backdrop of wartime hysteria. While their families languished in internment camps, Rudy Tokiwa, Fred Shiosaki, and Katsugo Miho volunteered for the all–Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which would became one of the most decorated units—though at the expense of a tragically high casualty rate—in American military history. Meanwhile, Gordon Hirabayashi fought a different battle through his steadfast, peaceful resistance to Executive Order 9066, which authorized the incarceration camps. He went on to become a prominent civil rights activist. The book highlights the Japanese American community’s diversity, particularly distinctions between mainlanders and those from Hawai‘i. Telling details highlight daily indignities endured in the internment camps. The bonds between the soldiers, as well as the horrors of the battlefield, are described with care and compassion. Brown excels at choosing powerful moments that bring the time period to life and at depicting individual people whom readers will grow to care deeply for. He asks us to remember that “their stories aren’t just history. Their stories shine a light on our own time,” for there is “still much work to be done.”

An unforgettable account of an appalling chapter in American history.