Water Thicker Than Blood: A Memoir of a Post-Internment Childhood

Water Thicker Than Blood is a memoir by poet and professor George Uba that chronicles his life as a Japanese American born in the late 1940s, a period of insidious anti-Japanese racism. It explores how he grappled with dislocation and trauma while seeking acceptance and belonging and the lasting damage caused by post-internment ideologies of "being accepted" and "fitting in inconspicuously."

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 30 May 2022
Publisher: Temple University Press,U.S.

In Water Thicker Than Blood, poet and professor George Uba delves into the intricate tapestry of his life, revealing the profound impact of anti-Japanese racism during the late 1940s. His captivating memoir serves as a poignant testament to the experiences of many Sansei (and Nisei) individuals across the United States, navigating the challenges of displacement, trauma, and the quest for acceptance and belonging.

Uba's personal narrative unfolds against the backdrop of shifting racial demographics in America, where he grappled with the inherent violence of midcentury educational and child-rearing practices, as well as faced a family health crisis compounded by bullying. Through vivid vignettes, he paints a vivid picture of boy scouts and yogore, illustrating how margins blurred and how both sets of youth experienced injury under the same ideological pressures.

Water Thicker Than Blood departs from conventional narratives of recovery or family reconciliation, instead offering an intimate exploration of the lasting damage caused by post-internment ideologies of "being accepted" and "fitting in inconspicuously." It serves as a powerful testament to the broader Sansei post-internment experience, shedding light on the profound impact of displacement, trauma, and the search for identity in a society grappling with its past.

Dimension: 229 x 152 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781439922583