Fiction. Karen Tei Yamashita's eagerly anticipated second novel tells the little-known story of Brazil's huge Japanese immigrant population. This multi-generational saga relates one group's attempt to build a utopia while surviving the suspicions of World War Two, the conflict between individual freedom and community responsibility, and the dangerous allure of a charismatic leader.
Author City: SANTA CRUZ, CA USA
Heralded as a "big talent" by the Los Angeles Times and praised by Newsday for "[wrestling] with profound philosophical and social issues" while delivering an "immensely entertaining story," Karen Yamashita is the recipient of an American Book Award and the Janet Heidinger Kafka Award. A California native who has also lived in Brazil and Japan, she teaches at the University of California-Santa Cruz, where she received the Chancellor's Award for Diversity in 2009.
Reviews and Other Links
● interview by Terry Hong in Bookslut