Formorethanadecade,PaulKitagakiJr.hasbeenrelivingtheincarcerationofJapaneseAmericansduringWorldWarII.
Morethan110,000ethnicJapaneseAmericanswereforciblyremovedfromtheirhomesatthestartofWorldWarIIandtransportedtodesolatedetentioncentersafterPresidentFranklinD.RooseveltsignedExecutiveOrder9066inearly1942.
PaulKitagaki'sparentsandgrandparentswerepartofthatgroup,buttheynevertalkedabouttheirexperience.Tobetterunderstand,KitagakitrackeddownthesubjectsofmorethansixtyphotographstakenbyDorotheaLange,AnselAdamsandotherphotographers.
Thisbookisaresultofthatwork,whichtookKitagakionaten-yearpilgrimagearoundthecountryphotographingsurvivorsofcamps.
Usingblack-and-whitefilmandalarge-formatcamerasimilartotheequipmentofphotographersinthe1940s,KitagakisoughttomirrorandcomplementphotographstakenduringWorldWarII--whilerevealingthestrengthandperseveranceofthesubjects.
Hephotographedandinterviewedthesubjectsortheirchildrentodiscoverwhowasinthepictures.Somewantedtoforget;somewantedtoremember.Somelosteverything;somefoundnewdirection.Heheardstoriesaboutheroicsoldiersandthoseunwillingtofightforacountrythatputthembehindbarbedwire.Eachpersonhassomethingtosay.Eachaddstheiruniquepersonalhistory.Theyallaredeterminedtomakesureitneverhappensagain.