“Etsuko was given the name Esther by her teacher, Mr. Slater, on her first day of school. "It's his mother's name," she explained. To which we replied, "So is yours.” — Julie Otsuka Copy Share Image
“In early autumn the farm recruiters arrived to sign up new workers, and the War Relocation Authority allowed many of the young men and women to go out and help harvest the crops. Some came back wearing the same shoes they'd left in and swore they would never go out there again. They said they'd been shot at. Spat on.… — Julie Otsuka Copy Share
And if anyone asks, you're Chinese. The boy had nodded. "Chinese," he whispered. "I'm Chinese." "And I," said the girl, "am the Queen of… — Julie Otsuka Copy Share Image
“We praised them when they were kind to others but told them not to expect to be rewarded for their good deeds. We scolded… — Julie Otsuka Copy Share Image
“SOME SAID that the men had been put on trains and sent far away, over the mountains, to the coldest part of the country. Some said they were enemy collaborators and would be deported within days. Some said they had been shot. Many of us dismissed the rumors as rumors but found ourselves spreading them—wildly, recklessly, and seemingly against our… — Julie Otsuka Copy Share
“They learned that some people are born luckier than others and that things in this world do not always go as you plan. STILL” — Julie Otsuka Copy Share Image
“Don't touch me," said the girl. "I want to be sick by myself." "That's impossible," said her mother. She continued to rub her back… — Julie Otsuka Copy Share Image
“A Japanese can live on a teaspoonful of rice a day. We were the best breed of worker they had ever hired in their… — Julie Otsuka Copy Share Image
“They learned that they should always call the restaurant first. Do you serve Japanese?” — Julie Otsuka Copy Share Image
“And if they ask you someday what it was I most wanted to say, please tell them, if you would, it was this: I'm… — Julie Otsuka Copy Share Image
“Many of us had lost everything and left saying nothing at all. All of us left wearing white numbered identification tags tied to our… — Julie Otsuka Copy Share Image
“Because the man who stood there before us was not our father. He was somebody else, a stranger who had been sent back in our father's place. That's not him, we said to our mother, That's not him, but our mother no longer seemed to hear us..."Did you..." she said. "Every day," he replied. Then he got down on his… — Julie Otsuka Copy Share
“ladies began boycotting our fruit stands because they were afraid our produce might be tainted with arsenic. Insurance companies canceled our insurance. Banks froze our bank accounts. Milkmen stopped delivering milk to our doors. “Company orders,” one tearful milkman explained. Children took one look at us and ran away like frightened deer. Little old ladies clutched their purses and froze… — Julie Otsuka Copy Share
