“Together in Manzanar” brings into focus the dark episode in American history, set in motion by the 1941 Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, when the US government imprisoned in detention camps tens of thou­sands of Japan­ese Amer­i­cans due to the unfounded fear of anyone in America with even “one drop” of Japanese blood. Among the incar­cer­at­ed were over 2,000 mem­bers of mixed-race fam­i­lies?—?includ­ing Elaine Buchman Yoneda, a Jew­ish American woman, Karl Yoneda, her Japan­ese Amer­i­can husband, and their three-year-old son, Tommy. Slater’s intimate account explores painful choices and conflicting loyalties, including Elaine’s leaving behind her White daugh­ter from a pre­vi­ous marriage, the upheaval and violence that followed, and the Yonedas’ quest to survive with their children’s lives intact and their family safe and whole.

Tracy Slater, Brandeis PhD ‘99, is an American writer from Boston living temporarily in Toronto, although usually based in Japan, her husband’s country. Her essays and articles have been published in the “New York Times”, the “Wall Street Journal”, the “Washington Post”, “The Best Women’s Travel Writing”, the “Boston Globe”, and “Literary Hub”, among other places.

About this Series:

Want to explore Jewish women’s lives through new and thought-provoking literary fiction, memoir and more? Want to connect first hand with those who create it? The Sandra Seltzer Silberman HBI Conversations Series, dedicated in honor of our beloved Conversations and Baltimorian friend, Sandy Silberman, z”l, brings us together to share stories that explore the diversity of Jewish women’s experiences across the world from yesterday and today. Visit https://bit.ly/HBIConversations for more information.