By Justine Trinh
Nisei Radicals: The Feminist Poetics and Transformative Ministry of Mitsuye Yamada & Michael Yasutake by Diane C. Fujino, chronicles the lives and activism of two remarkable people, siblings Mitsuye Yamada and Mike Yasutake. Fujino, professor of Asian American studies at UC Santa Barbara, deftly contextualizes her subjects within Asian American history: Yamada is well known for her poetry and writing, making her one of the most widely known Nisei feminists and writers, and Yasutake (1920-2001) was a fierce supporter of political and anti-imperial movements through his religious activism. Despite their prominent status, both are part of the understudied narrative of Nisei rebellious activism, and Fujino brings their story to the forefront to disrupt the dominant idea that the Nisei generation, or second generation Japanese Americans, are “quiet Americans” as writer Bill Hosokawa states in his work, Nisei: The Quiet Americans (1969). What scholarship exists of Nisei activism is divided into four major historical periods: 1) prior to World War II, 2) World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans, 3) the Cold War period, and 4) social justice of the 1960s and 1970s. The bulk of Yamada’s and Yasutake’s activism, however, falls outside those constructed categories; rather, it occurs from the late 1970s to the 1990s, which complicates the idea of conservatism that defines those years as well as illuminates the range of Nisei activism that spanned across many time periods and places.
Drawing from both historical research and her own interviews with both Yamada and Yasutake, Fujino masterfully weaves both of their narratives together despite the unevenness of the siblings’ lives, activism, and self-narratives. Rather than constructing an artificial parallelism that would wedge both siblings into a chapter to create an appearance of equalism, Fujino artfully constructs the book unevenly to tackle themes, such as silence/speaking out and the complicity/nonaction with injustice, that continue to be relevant today. Depending on the circumstances or topic, she allows for one sibling’s voice to overtake the narrative without fully eclipsing the other’s. The siblings are separated at times both in their real lives and in book chapters, but their separation is never felt as such. So, while a chapter may solely focus on one of the siblings, the effects of the other looms over them. While the book does give a factual and historical account of Yamada’s and Yasutake’s lives, it also does so in a way that allows the reader to empathize with the personal accounts that complement the facts rather than deter from it. The personal becomes intertwined with the political, and the political becomes the personal.
This book is a fantastic read that blends both personal accounts with historical facts to give amazing insight on two well-known figures and humanizes them rather than idealizes them. I was excited to get my hands on a copy of this book because the effects of Yamada’s and Yasutake’s activism still resonate today. In addition, Yamada’s poetry is taught in a number of Asian American studies courses throughout the United States, and with the recent release of her newest collection of poems, Full Circle, in 2019, her influence will continue to impact the coming generation of Asian American scholars. When I read this for the first time, I was struck by how much I did not know about Yamada and her life despite knowing her personally. While Yamada is not shy about sharing her life story with me over some egg tarts and cookies, there is so much she has been through over the years that a couple conversations cannot encompass alone. I have heard her speak about her poetry and her activism whether that be related to her work with the National Women’s Conference or Amnesty International, but this book shed light on context and details that I would not have been aware of or afraid to ask her myself.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about Asian American history/Japanese American activism or is familiar with either Yamada’s feminist work and poetry or Yasutake’s religious activism. Fujino is able to convey such nuance through her sensitive approach that invites the reader into Yamada’s and Yasutake’s lives without ever intruding. Rather, it allows the reader to empathize with Yamada and Yasutake, whether that be angry with the racist, militaristic, and sexist injustices and challenges the siblings had to face, or ecstatic for their triumphs. In addition, while the book may be considered an academic text, Fujino does not employ an overabundance of academic jargon. As a result, the book is accessible and understandable to a general audience as well as furthers the underdevelopment of academic scholarship of Nisei activism.
Nisei Radicals is available from Blackwell’s, the Japanese American National Museum, and University of Washington Press.
Justine Trinh is an English literature Ph.D. student at Washington State University. She graduated from the University of California, Irvine with B.A.s in Asian American studies and classical civilizations and a B.S. in mathematics. She then went on to earn her M.A. in Asian American studies, making her the first student to graduate from UCI Asian American Studies’ 4+1 B.A./M.A. program. Her research interests include Asian American literature, critical refugee studies, family and trauma, and forced departure and disownment.