Silver Like Dust: One Family's Story of Japanese Internment

Kimi Cunningham Grant

Jan 2012 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

The poignant story of a Japanese-American woman’s journey through one of the most shameful chapters in American history 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 culture and her grandfather’s attempts to teach her the language.
But there was one part of Obaachan’s life that fascinated and haunted Kimi—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?
From the turmoil, racism, and paranoia that sprang up after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, to the terrifying train ride to Heart Mountain, Silver Like Dust captures a vital chapter of the Japanese-American experience through the journey of one remarkable woman and the enduring bonds of family.

Ratings and reviews

Great for projects, especially for U.S. The author does a really good job of organizing the story, yet at the same time includes a constant World War II timetable. I loved reading her grandmother's accounts, and than having the author include what was going on in the world at the time, and how it could have shaped her grandmother's views. Very unusual to come across, and a very interesting structure to see. Also, the author does a great job in citing her sources/laying them out in the back of the book.

About the author

Kimi Cunningham Grant is the 2009 recipient of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship in creative nonfiction. She lives in central Pennsylvania with her family and is an instructor of English at Penn State University.