The Hawaii Japanese Center announces an illustrated talk and book-signing by Dr. Heidi Kim, whose recently released work, “Taken from the Paradise Isle,” focuses on the story of the Hoshida family of Hilo.
The Hawaii Japanese Center announces an illustrated talk and book-signing by Dr. Heidi Kim, whose recently released work, “Taken from the Paradise Isle,” focuses on the story of the Hoshida family of Hilo.
George Hoshida, who was detained at various U.S. internment camps during World War II, recorded his experiences in a diary and used his considerable talents as an artist to sketch and paint scenes from his family’s trying journey.
Kim’s presentation will take place at 2 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Hawaii Japanese Center, 751 Kanoelehua Ave. in Hilo.
Admission is free and books will be available for sale at that time.
Crafted from Hoshida’s diary and memoir, as well as letters faithfully exchanged with his wife, Tamae, “Taken from the Paradise Isle” is an intimate account of the anger, resignation, philosophy, optimism and love with which the Hoshida family endured their separation and incarceration during World War II.
The Hoshidas and their children were an American family of Japanese ancestry who lived in Hawaii. In 1942, George Hoshida was arrested as a “potentially dangerous alien” and interned in a series of camps during the next two years without charges or cause.
Meanwhile, forced to leave her handicapped eldest daughter behind in a nursing home in Hawaii, Tamae and three daughters, including a newborn, were incarcerated at the Jerome Relocation Center in Arkansas. George and Tamae regularly exchanged letters during this time, and George maintained a diary including personal thoughts, watercolors and sketches.
In “Taken from the Paradise Isle,” these sources are bolstered by extensive archival documents and editor Kim’s historical contextualization, providing a new and important perspective on the tragedy of the incarceration as it affected Japanese-American families in Hawaii.
The cover of “Taken from the Paradise Isle” features George Hoshida’s drawing of Kilauea Military Camp.
For further information, call the nonprofit Hawaii Japanese Center at 934-9611 or email contact@hawaiijapanesecenter.com.