The Evacuation Diary of Hatsuye Egami
by Hatsuye Egami
Category: Japanese Americans

Unique in the literature of "the internment" because it is an actual diary written by an Issei [first generation] Japanese American woman, this intimate account conveys the reality of one woman's 1942 experience. Wrenched from their tranquil Pasadena community, Mrs. Egami, her husband and their four children struggle with unfamiliar, primitive, overcrowded camp conditions at Tulare Assembly Center in the Central Valley of California. Mrs. Egami describes the family's sense of integration in Pasadena before Pearl Harbor, and the indignities they endure as they become accustomed to life in "camp". At the same time, she is consistently able to find small measures of hope and beauty, even in the harsh camp surroundings, as she observes children, flowers, religious and social events, and the behaviors of her new neighbors. Claire Gorfinkel's introduction to the Diary describes the surprising events that led to its discovery and publication. It also includes powerful commentary on the historic injustice of the internment, and a reminder to remain vigilant against future injustices.