Stubborn Twig

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What to expect

Stubborn Twigis the true story of immigrants making their way in a new land, a moving saga about the promise and perils of becoming an American.

Masuo Yasui arrived in America in 1903 with big dreams and empty pockets. He worked on the railroads, in a cannery, and as a houseboy before settling in Oregon to open a store, raise a large family, and become one of the area's most successful orchardists. As Masuo broke the color barrier in the local business community, his American-born children did the same in school, scouts, and sports. But their lives changed forever following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, when they were forced from their homes into vast inland camps. Although shamed and broken, the Yasui family would yet endure to claim their place as Americans.

Critics Review

  • “Lauren Kessler transports us to another era, accurately and vividly.”

    Los Angeles Times

  • “Remarkable…excels in its historical sweep and in Kessler’s flair for dramatic storytelling…an eye-opener.”

    San Francisco Chronicle

  • “Her research into each of her subject’s lives is diligent and she recounts the intimate tragedies, the determination, hard work, and family solidarity that characterized the Yasuis’ rise to affluence and success. Kessler has created a praiseworthy chronicle of the ‘process and meaning of becoming an American, of promise and prejudice in a new land.’”

    Publishers Weekly

  • “Gives a clear picture of the Japanese American experience in one rural community. By personalizing the effects of racism, Kessler provides a valuable account that belongs in most Asian American history collections.”

    Library Journal

  • “This book puts human faces and emotions to the events of that period…Part sociological study, part American history, part family saga, this title will make a significant addition to any library.”

    School Library Journal

  • “An important and moving document of one American family’s experience.” 

    Booklist

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