A novel by David Mura

September 1, 2008 • 5.5 x 8.5 • 280 pages • 978-1-56689-215-5

A sweeping tale of fathers and sons, of secrets and shame, and of unsung heroism.

Ben Ohara is the sole surviving member his family. A troubled and brilliant astrophysicist, Ben’s younger brother has mysteriously vanished in the Mojave Desert. His father, one of a small group of WWII draft resisters (known as No-No Boys) during the internment of Japanese Americans, committed suicide when Ben was young. And his mother, who steadfastly refused to revisit the past, has died with her secrets.

Realizing that the key to his future lies in reassessing the past, Ben retraces his steps through a childhood colored by the tough Chicago streets, horror movie monsters, sci-fi villains, Japanese folk tales, TV war heroes, and family tragedy. On this journey of forgiveness—leading him ever closer to his brother’s last days and the site of his father’s internment at Heart Mountain—Ben comes to understand the profound difference between coming of age and becoming a man.

About the Author

Acclaimed memoirist, poet, playwright, performance artist, and author of Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire, David Mura has won wide critical praise for his insightful analysis of the connections between cultural identity and the legacies of American history.

Thanks to a 2013 ADA Access Improvement Grant administered by VSA Minnesota for the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, this title is also formatted for screen readers which make text accessible to the blind and visually impaired. To purchase this title for use with a screen reader please call (612) 338-0125 or email us at info@coffeehousepress.org.

Reviews

“There is no writer that dives deeper (or more bravely) into the chasm that is the human heart. [David Mura’s] first novel is a tour de force: luminously written and by turns crafty, tough, wise, and joyful.” —Junot Díaz

“Charged and probing. . . . A moving act of reclamation.” —Gish Jen