Fish for Jimmy

Praise

“Illustrator Yamasaki (Honda: The Boy Who Dreamed of Cars), in her authorial debut, draws from her own ancestral history as she describes the family’s difficulties, yet she resists dropping hints about what’s to come. . . Although memoirs of politically sensitive times are often subdued, this one is unexpectedly suspenseful.” —Publishers Weekly

“A new and moving look at one of the most disgraceful events in U.S. history, effectively told with childlike surrealism.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Yamasaki, who works as a muralist and educator, creates sweeping paintings that capture the story in a literal manner even as she makes bold metaphorical leaps. When the two boys lie in bed at night, the menacing shadows of the camp’s guard tower are imprinted on their blankets. The family stands poised on Taro’s reclining form, while the imagined torsos of F.B.I. agents loom in a forbidding muddy background. One of the most moving spreads shows Taro capturing fish in a river, each fish carrying a reclining Jimmy on its back. The overall result is a dramatic, visual feast. And Yamasaki gives readers a reassuringly happy ending.” —New York Times