Adios To Tears: The Memoirs Of A Japanese-Peruvian Internee In U.S. Concentration Camps [Paperback]

Seiichi Higashide (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0295979143 | ISBN-13: 978-0295979144 | Publication Date: November 14, 2011 | Edition: 1st University of Washington Press ed

"Adios to Tears" is the very personal story of Seiichi Higashide (1909-97), whose life in three countries was shaped by a bizarre and little-known episode in the history of World War II. Born in Hokkaido, Higashide emigrated to Peru in 1931. By the late 1930s he was a shopkeeper and community leader in the provincial town of Ica, but following the outbreak of World War II, he along with other Latin American Japanese was seized by police and forcibly deported to the United States. He was interned behind barbed wire at the Immigration and Naturalization Service facility in Crystal City, Texas, for more than two years. After his release, Higashide elected to stay in the U.S. and eventually became a citizen. For years, he was a leader in the effort to obtain redress from the American government for the violation of the human rights of the Peruvian Japanese internees. Higashide's moving memoir was translated from Japanese into English and Spanish through the efforts of his eight children, and was first published in 1993. This second edition includes a new Foreword by C. Harvey Gardiner, professor emeritus of history at Southern Illinois University and author of Pawns in a Triangle of Hate: The Peruvian Japanese and the United States; a new Epilogue by Julie Small, cochair of Campaign for Justice-Redress Now for Japanese Latin Americans; and, a new Preface by Elsa H. Kudo, eldest daughter of Seiichi Higashide.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"What tears must have been shed by this former hostage of America in writing this heart-wrenching masterpiece. Readers will be inspired, enthralled, and will end up caring deeply." oMichi Nishiura Weglyn, author of Years of Infamy: The Untold Story of America's Concentration Camps

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Japanese

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: University of Washington Press; 1st University of Washington Press ed edition (November 14, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0295979143
• ISBN-13: 978-0295979144
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #408,149 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > History > Americas > South America > Peru

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is my Grandfather's Story, February 3, 2005

By 

Donn (Colorado Springs) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adios To Tears: The Memoirs Of A Japanese-Peruvian Internee In U.S. Concentration Camps (Paperback)

This is a book written by my Grandfather. It is about how while living in Peru, he and his family were taken to an internment camp in the United States during World War II. What I really like about his retelling of this time of his life is that he stays so positive. Everything was taken away from him. Yet, he knows that he can rebuild and live a better life here in America. I am proud of the life he lived. I am thankful that he succeeded here so that I could live in this great nation, too.