Facing the Mountain- Virtual book launch event

Densho is hosting the official book launch for Facing the Mountain, a new book about WWII  incarceration and the 442nd RCT by Daniel James Brown, NY Times bestselling author of The Boys  in the Boat. The May 11, 2021 virtual event will feature a conversation between Brown and Densho  Executive Director Tom Ikeda, who has conducted previous oral histories with many of the men  highlighted in the book. Facing the Mountain grew out of conversations Brown had with Ikeda in  2015. In his foreword to the book, Ikeda writes:

“Facing the Mountain comes to us during a time of deep unrest, a time when our empathy for  others is so needed to guide the choices we will make. This book will open hearts.”

Facing the Mountain is an unforgettable chronicle of war-time America and the battlefields of Eu rope. Based on Brown’s extensive interviews with the families of the protagonists as well as deep  archival research, it portrays the kaleidoscopic journey of four Japanese American families and  their sons. While some fought on battlefields as members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team,  others fought to defend the constitutional rights of a community. Regardless of where their battles  played out, these individuals were exemplifying American patriotism under extreme duress by  striving, resisting, standing on principle, and enduring.

Facing the Mountain exemplifies the sort of far-reaching creative work that we dreamed would be  possible when Densho was founded 25 years ago. The book draws upon the stories and words of  Japanese American elders and ancestors to tell this history in a way that can reach vast audiences.

Find out more information about the event and register at densho.org/mountain.

ABOUT DENSHO

Founded in 1996, Densho is a trailblazer in the use of digital technology to preserve and share the first-person story. Today, Densho hosts the largest online archive of oral histories and family collections on the Japanese American experience, in addition to a wealth of educational resources to help every American know the history and understand the lessons of the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans.