Silver Like Dust

One Family's Story of America's Japanese Internment

By: Kimi Cunningham Grant

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

Kimi’s Obaachan, her grandmother, had always been a silent presence throughout her youth. Sipping tea by the fire, preparing sushi for the family, or indulgently listening to Ojichan’s (grandfather’s) stories for the thousandth time, Obaachan was a missing link to Kimi’s Japanese heritage, something she had had a mixed relationship with all her life. Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, all Kimi ever wanted to do was fit in, spurning traditional Japanese cuisine and her grandfather’s attempts to teach her the language. But there was one part of Obaachan’s life that fascinated and haunted Kimi ever since the age of eleven—her gentle yet proud Obaachan was once a prisoner, along with 112,000 Japanese Americans, for more than five years of her life. Obaachan never spoke of those years, and Kimi’s own mother only spoke of it in whispers. It was a source of haji, or shame. But what really happened to Obaachan, then a young woman, and the thousands of other men, women, and children like her? Obaachan would meet her husband in the camps and watch her mother die there, too. From the turmoil, racism, and paranoia that sprang up after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the terrifying train ride to Heart Mountain, to the false promise of V-J day, Silver Like Dust captures a vital chapter of the Japanese-American experience through the journey of one remarkable woman. Her story is one of thousands, yet is powerful a testament to the enduring bonds of family and an unusual look at the American dream.

©2011 Kimi Cunningham Grant (P)2011 AudioGO

enlightening indeed...

As caucasian, I enjoyed a perspective my inlaws wouldn't discuss. Learned much. Nice narration too.

Awesome

Awesome, great story about the Japanese people who were in camps. I never knew about these camps in US .

Narration errrrrgh!

I did not care for the narration at all. Especially I didn’t like the voice of the grandma/ obachan. The idea of this story was good, but this story reads more like a history book. Lots of facts listed with a weak story like. I finished this book because I have Japanese heritage, but the narration and history book writing was hard to get through.

Can't believe this happened in America

Listened for free via the Audible Plus catalog but would have been worth a credit in the end. Hard to believe that internment happened in this country. Hopefully it never happens again. Also, wasn't expecting to hear the line "...when Three 6 Mafia started performing 'It's hard out there for a pimp'" in this book.

WW2 Japanese family story

This story was interesting and one not usually heard in history. I enjoyed the perspective of the granddaughter learning about US Japanese internment camps from her grandmother. It is a sensitive topic and depth of pain or abuse is not discussed much, but the imagination can dig into that if desired. We cannot forget this history as Americans and know freedom is a gift we should cherish.