Color of the Sea

Color of the Sea by John Hamamura is an engaging story of survival through separation from family, WWII, and internment. It's the story of a young man trained as a samurai who moves from Japan to Hawaii to California. This novel is a 2007 Alex Award winner. There will be many opportunities to engage with this book and connect with others on campus.

Note: The author will be on campus for two free events on September 23, 2009.

Local Connections to the Story

• Outstanding videos from KQED and KTEH on Japanese-American soldiers from the Bay Area who served in WWII - most are 30 minutes long
• KTEH's Return to the Valley - about Japanese-Americans returning to the Bay Area after internment during WWII; FAQ on the video and topic. There is an amazing amount of information, videos, and photos at this site.

Japanese Bombing of Pearl Harbor

• Info from Wikipedia
• Info from US National Park Service
• The San Jose State football team was in Hawaii getting ready to play a game when Pearl Harbor was bombed

Information about Internment Camps

• Info from Wikipedia
• Children of the Camps from PBS
• Photos by Ansel Adams from Library of Congress
• Information from Congressman Mike Honda:
  • Day of Remembrance

US Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

• Info from Wikipedia
• Photo-essay from Univ. Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

California Japantowns

• Atlas of Japantowns
• Lodi Japantown
• 1940 map of Lodi Japantown

Martial Arts

• Naginata
• Aikido
• Judo
• Karate
• Tae Kwon Do
• Tai Chi

Other Books You Might Like

• Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne and James Houston (SJSU alums)

• When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka

• Japanese American internment during World War II: a history and reference guide. By SJSU Professor Wendy Ng. Available in the King Library.

• Understanding Asian Americans. Available in the King Library at E184.O6 U5 1990 MLK 6th and 5th Floors.

• The Asian American Encyclopedia v. 1 - 6 in the King Library at E184.O6 A827 1995 MLK 6th and 5th Floors

• Reference Library of Asian America v. 1 - 3 in the King Library at E184.O6 R438x 1995 MLK 5th Floor

• Japanese American History: an A to Z Reference from 1868 to the Present in the King Library at E184.O6 L44 1991 MLK 6th Floor or 973.0495 MLK 3rd Floor

• The Color of Honor - VHS, XS0416, IRC Room 112