Tracy Slater Brings Untold World War II Story of Identity and Resilience to Boston University

with inputs from Chloe Laine Salva, Thomas Rusk, and Ava Howell

Boston University (BU) will host acclaimed author Tracy Slater for a reading and discussion of her new book, “Together in Manzanar: The True Story of a Japanese Jewish Family in an American Concentration Camp,” on Wednesday, Oct. 29, from 5 – 6:30 p.m. at the College of General Studies. The event, free and open to the public with advance registration, will include a Q&A and book signing. It is co-sponsored by the Elie Wiesel Center for Jewish Studies, the BU Center for the Study of Asia, and the College of General Studies.

An Untold History Brought to Life

Slater’s book uncovers the story of Elaine and Karl Yoneda, a Jewish Japanese couple and labor activists incarcerated at California’s Manzanar War Relocation Center during World War II. Elaine Yoneda was the only Jewish American woman recorded in any of the Japanese American incarceration camps, a story that has been largely untold until now.

It raises questions about what it means to give up your world for your partner’s world, and what that kind of choice says about love and identity.

“For me as a writer, that felt like an untapped story, like a mystery or treasure hunt waiting to be uncovered,” Slater said. “It raises questions about what it means to give up your world for your partner’s world, and what that kind of choice says about love and identity.”

Personal Inspiration and Contemporary Relevance

The book, Slater explained, grew from her own cross-cultural life. “I’m a Jewish American woman married to a Japanese man,” she said. “When we had our child, I knew our kid would be the first Jewish Japanese American in our family. That curiosity laid the foundation for me to explore both Japanese American and Jewish American histories.”

We’re again questioning democracy and seeing whole communities targeted. History has a way of circling back.

Through archival research and rare family diaries, Slater uncovered the Yoneda family’s experience, one that echoes today’s social and political tensions. “When I started writing the book, I didn’t realize how timely it would be,” she reflected. “We’re again questioning democracy and seeing whole communities targeted. History has a way of circling back.”

A Conversation About Inclusion and Memory

Slater will be joined in conversation by Megan Sullivan, faculty director of Inclusive Pedagogy, Institute for Excellence in Teaching & Learning, and Associate Professor of Rhetoric in the College of General Studies.

“This book reexamines a part of history we think we know, but Tracy saw it anew through the eyes of one family,” Sullivan said. “At BU, our students come from many cultures and histories. Programming like this helps them connect those stories to their own.”

We owe it to our students to confront the moments we aren’t proud of, along with those we celebrate.

Sullivan added that revisiting difficult history is essential for inclusive education. “We should always look at history to see what we’ve forgotten and what we can learn from it,” she said. “We owe it to our students to confront the moments we aren’t proud of, along with those we celebrate.”

About the Author

Tracy Slater is the author of “The Good Shufu: Finding Love, Self, and Home on the Far Side of the World,” a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection and one of PopSugar’s Best Books of 2015. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Time magazine. She holds a Ph.D. in English and American Literature from Brandeis University and received PEN New England’s Friend to Writers Award.