Drawing the Line

As World War II began, not only were Japanese Americans herded into internment camps, the young men were then drafted. But at Heart Mountain, a group of resisters drew the line - they refused to comply, on constitutional grounds - and wound up in federal prison. As the author contemplates a simple line drawing of the Heart Mountain camp, he revisits this moment of history with pain, pride, and thoughtful historical perspective. In a section about Japanese American life, Inada pays tribute to his elders, and delights in the detail of the day-to-day. His love for the landscape of Oregon is realized in poems that smell of pine and sparkle like a mountain stream. This is a rich, varied collection of poems brimming with hope, nourished by the wisdom of the past, alive with the electricity of the moment.