“Profoundly political, exquisitely intimate, Itsuka reverberates with longing and hope.”—The Canada Times
Already a Canadian bestseller, the sequel to Joy Kogawa’s award-winning novel Obasan follows the character Naomi Nakane into adulthood, where she becomes involved in the movement for governmental redress. Much more overtly political than Kogawa’s first book, the story focuses on reaching that itsuka—someday—when the mistreatment of those of Japanese heritage during World War II would be recognized.
Although during the war both the United States and Canada interned Japanese-Americans and confiscated their property, when the war ended the property of those in Canada never returned to them. This is the story of the fight to get government compensation for the thousands of victims of the wartime internment, which was, unbelievably, only accomplished in 1988. Both a moving novel of self-discovery and a fascinating historical account of the fight for redress, Itsuka ends with a message of inspiration and hope.
Joy Kogawa is best known as the author of Obasan (1981), which is based on Joy and her family’s forced relocation from Vancouver during the Second World War when she was six years old. Joy’s other books for adults include Itsuka (1992, published as Emily Kato in 2005), The Rain Ascends (1995), and Gently to Nagasaki (2016). Her works for children are Naomi’s Road (1986, 2005) and Naomi’s Tree (2009). Since 1967, Joy has also published several poetry collections, including A Choice of Dreams (1974), Jericho Road (1977), and A Garden of Anchors (2003). Among her many honours, Joy has received an Order of Canada (1986), an Order of British Columbia (2006), and, from the Japanese Government, an Order of the Rising Sun (2010) for “her contribution to the understanding and preservation of Japanese Canadian history.”
View titles by Joy Kogawa
“Profoundly political, exquisitely intimate, Itsuka reverberates with longing and hope.”—The Canada Times
Already a Canadian bestseller, the sequel to Joy Kogawa’s award-winning novel Obasan follows the character Naomi Nakane into adulthood, where she becomes involved in the movement for governmental redress. Much more overtly political than Kogawa’s first book, the story focuses on reaching that itsuka—someday—when the mistreatment of those of Japanese heritage during World War II would be recognized.
Although during the war both the United States and Canada interned Japanese-Americans and confiscated their property, when the war ended the property of those in Canada never returned to them. This is the story of the fight to get government compensation for the thousands of victims of the wartime internment, which was, unbelievably, only accomplished in 1988. Both a moving novel of self-discovery and a fascinating historical account of the fight for redress, Itsuka ends with a message of inspiration and hope.
Joy Kogawa is best known as the author of Obasan (1981), which is based on Joy and her family’s forced relocation from Vancouver during the Second World War when she was six years old. Joy’s other books for adults include Itsuka (1992, published as Emily Kato in 2005), The Rain Ascends (1995), and Gently to Nagasaki (2016). Her works for children are Naomi’s Road (1986, 2005) and Naomi’s Tree (2009). Since 1967, Joy has also published several poetry collections, including A Choice of Dreams (1974), Jericho Road (1977), and A Garden of Anchors (2003). Among her many honours, Joy has received an Order of Canada (1986), an Order of British Columbia (2006), and, from the Japanese Government, an Order of the Rising Sun (2010) for “her contribution to the understanding and preservation of Japanese Canadian history.”
View titles by Joy Kogawa
