A quiet collection of linked short stories capturing Japanese American life in the early 20th century. Mori observes he daily lives of denizens of the fictional town, celebrating small triumphs, stoically enduring setbacks. Born in Oakland, California, Mori (1910- 1980) Mori was slated to see this book–the first by an Asian American–published in 1941. But the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, shattered that dream. He and his family were interned at the Topaz Relocation Center in Utah, where Mori became camp historian. Post-war–too soon,” so Yokohama, California languished until 1949. Reissued in 2015 with an introduction by Xiaojing Zhou, author and professor of English at the University of the Pacific, it includes William Saroyan’s original praise. Yokohama, California is still a timely read.

(Description from Lavender Magazine)