Yoshiko Uchida’s Followers (93)

Yoshiko Uchida

Born

in Alameda, Cal., The United States

October 24, 1921

Died

June 21, 1992

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Short Stories, Children's Books

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Yoshiko, born on November 24, 1921, was the second daughter of Japanese immigrant parents Takashi and Iku. Her father worked as a businessman for Mitsui and Company in San Francisco, and Iku wrote poetry, passing along her love of literature to her girls. Though the Great Depression raged, the Uchida family enjoyed comforts because of Takashi's well-paying job and their own frugality. Yoshiko loved to write, and her stories played out on pieces of brown wrapping paper. She also kept a journal to record her thoughts and events.

Enveloped in love and tradition at home, Yoshiko weathered the prejudice she sometimes faced. Many white students at University High School in Oakland didn't invite her to their parties and wouldn't socialize with her, Yoshiko, born on November 24, 1921, was the second daughter of Japanese immigrant parents Takashi and Iku. Her father worked as a businessman for Mitsui and Company in San Francisco, and Iku wrote poetry, passing along her love of literature to her girls. Though the Great Depression raged, the Uchida family enjoyed comforts because of Takashi's well-paying job and their own frugality. Yoshiko loved to write, and her stories played out on pieces of brown wrapping paper. She also kept a journal to record her thoughts and events.

Enveloped in love and tradition at home, Yoshiko weathered the prejudice she sometimes faced. Many white students at University High School in Oakland didn't invite her to their parties and wouldn't socialize with her, deeming her a foreigner. Even while attending the University of California at Berkley, Yoshiko often faced the same dilemma of being ostracized. She found friendships with other Japanese American students and was preparing to graduate when Pearl Harbor was bombed, changing her life.

The United States government rounded up 120,000 people of Japanese descent and put them into camps. The Uchida family first resided in a horse stall at a racetrack in California, surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards. Though difficult to endure, the next move was worse. Almost 8,000 Japanese were sent to a relocation concentration camp called Topaz in the Utah desert. The detainees suffered from violent dust storms, scorpions, snakes, and exceedingly poor living conditions. Yoshiko taught second grade children there until she received a fellowship from Smith College to earn a master's degree in education.

Yoshiko and her sister both left the camp in May of 1943, with their parents gaining release later that year. Teaching for several years in a Quaker school outside of Philadelphia, Yoshiko decided to quit teaching and find work that allowed more time for writing. She moved to New York City and began as a secretary, penning stories in the evenings. Asked to contribute to a book about Japanese folk tales, Yoshiko discovered that though the book didn't come to be, with time she could create a full collection of folk tales. Writing a few pieces for adults, Yoshiko realized she was better suited for children's books.

A Ford Foundation fellowship sent her to Japan to research the culture and their stories. Spending two years, Yoshiko found her time to be healing as she learned about her own ancestry. The pain of the concentration camps lessened, and she began writing about the experiences in fictional books such as Journey to Topaz and Journey Home. Her career as an author soared as people regarded her as a pioneer in Japanese American children's literature. The author of almost forty works, including Japanese folk tales and stories of Japanese American children making their way in the world, Yoshiko traveled extensively, lectured, and wrote. After suffering from a stroke, Yoshiko passed away on June 25, 1992, in Berkeley, California. ...more

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Yoshiko Uchida’s books

Average rating: 3.83 · 6,427 ratings · 888 reviews · 71 distinct works • Similar authors

	Journey to Topaz by Yoshiko Uchida, Donald Carrick (Illustrator) 3.87 avg rating — 1,638 ratings — published 1971 — 23 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Picture Bride 3.62 avg rating — 936 ratings — published 1987 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese American Family 3.88 avg rating — 832 ratings — published 1982 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Jar of Dreams 3.95 avg rating — 747 ratings — published 1981 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Bracelet 3.92 avg rating — 551 ratings — published 1993 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Invisible Thread: An Autobiography 3.87 avg rating — 512 ratings — published 1991 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Journey Home 3.68 avg rating — 411 ratings — published 1978 — 19 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Best Bad Thing 3.95 avg rating — 177 ratings — published 1983 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Wise Old Woman by Yoshiko Uchida (Retold by), Martin Springett (Illustrator) 3.88 avg rating — 150 ratings — published 1994 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	رازهای هیساکو by Yoshiko Uchida, مجید عمیق (Translator) 3.35 avg rating — 120 ratings — published 1969 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Yoshiko Uchida…

Series by Yoshiko Uchida

Rinko (3 books)
by

Yoshiko Uchida

3.95 avg rating — 965 ratings

Sumi (3 books)
by

Yoshiko Uchida,

Kazue Mizumura (Illustrator)

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 23 ratings

Quotes by Yoshiko Uchida (?)

“The secret to wisdom is curiosity.”
― Yoshiko Uchida, The Wise Old Woman

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“When you do what you know is right,' Father explained, 'you find a dignity in yourself that makes you a happy person.”
― Yoshiko Uchida, Journey to Topaz

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“One smiling woman shook my hand and said, 'My, but you speak English so beautifully.' She had meant to compliment me, but I was so astonished,, I didn't know what to say. I realized she had seen only my outer self — my Japanese face — and addressed me as a foreigner. I knew then that I would always be different, even thought I wanted so badly to like my white American friends.”
― Yoshiko Uchida, The Invisible Thread: An Autobiography

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Yoshiko Uchida’s Followers (93)

Yoshiko Uchida

Combine EditionsYoshiko Uchida’s books

Series by Yoshiko Uchida

Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Yoshiko Uchida’s books