Fighting for America: Nisei Soldiers
The last installment in a series of graphic novels that began with We Hereby Refuse (Washington State Book Award Finalist) and Those Who Helped Us:
This book tells the stories of six courageous Japanese American soldiers from the Pacific Northwest who volunteered to fight in the combined 442nd Regimental Combat Team with the 100th Infantry Battalion during World War II.
While their friends and family were incarcerated in American concentration camps, Nisei soldiers fought heroically in the most dangerous missions on the European front. Adapted from interviews by Lawrence Matsuda and brought to life by Matt Sasaki's dynamic illustrations, Fighting for America preserves and honors the stories of six veterans who made a significant mark on American history.
Shiro Kashino, Army Infantry Sergeant
Frank Nishimura, Army Infantry
Jimmie Kanaya, Army Medic
Roy Matsumoto, Military Intelligence in the Pacific
Tosh Yasutake, Army Medic
Teruyuki "Turk" Susuki, Army Infantry
Lawrence Matsuda was born in the Minidoka, Idaho Concentration Camp during World War II. An acclaimed writer, he has written three books of poetry, a fourth in collaboration with Tess Gallagher. Portions of Fighting for America: Nisei Soldiers were the basis for animation by the Seattle Channel and won Regional Emmys. His novel based on his mother's life, My Name is Not Viola, was published by Endicott and Hugh Books.
Matt Sasaki is an artist on another volume in this series, We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration. He lives with his wife and an old dog north of Seattle. Samples of his other work are online at mattsasaki.com.
