Finding Life
by
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Christians among Japanese are scarce. The Nisei culture is an intricate part of this story.
Prejudice followed Pearl Harbor. When Japanese men vanished into FBI hands and travel was restricted, the culture felt unease.
They were allowed to take only what could be carried by hand to the evacuation centers. Household goods had to be cheaply sold or abandoned.
In Poston I, 10,000 people lived in barracks, ate in mess halls, endured the desert heat, the dust storms, the terrible drinking water and had time to laugh, go to craft classes and take judo
The Japanese do not make friends easily, but during their confinement, Christians became very close to other Christians from different parts of the country.
When the family moved to Chicago, and David enrolled in a tough school. He was told that the boys never fought with their fists. All carried knives and brought guns to school for gang fights.
David believed in God and he knew that the blood of Christ could wash away his sins; yet, he could not feel the presence of the Spirit. He wondered if he was excluded from God’s elect.
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About the Book
When the attack on Pearl Harbor occurs, sixth-grader David is a Japanese child who has been raised Christian in America. Suddenly, many people view David and his family as “the enemy.” Japanese Americans found themselves sent to evacuation centers. They could bring only what they could carry, and most of their belongings were either sold or stolen in their absence. David could hardly believe it was happening; wasn’t America supposed to be the land of the free?
David’s family was sent to Poston I, where 10,000 people dwelled in barracks surrounded by barbed wire and secured by armed guards. The living space was minimal, and privacy was nonexistent. Even so, there was a sense of hope, as people found time to laugh and attend church. The church brought Christians together from all across the West Coast, and David made friends that would last long after the evacuation centers closed.
Following David’s family’s stay in America’s makeshift Japanese prison, they moved to Chicago, where David’s true path to adulthood began. Surrounded by gang fights consisting of white versus black, the Japanese new kid had nowhere to go—except to God, who would find a way to show David how to live a life of peace amidst chaos, love within hate, and ultimately salvation in the depths of damnation.
About the Author
Peter Sowa was a Japanese child, raised as a Christian in America. He and his family experienced extreme prejudice after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and they were eventually sent to an evacuation center. Later, Sowa earned his master’s degree, spent two years in the US Army, and taught at the University of Wichita. He is also the author of two earlier novels.