Kapoho: Memoir of a Modern Pompeii

In Kapoho: Memoir of a Modern Pompeii, Frances H. Kakugawa shares the stories of her life in the town of Kapoho on the Island of Hawaii—a town that no longer exists. From the wartime drama of "The Enemy Wore My Face"—recalling her instant transformation to distrusted "Jap" after the bombing of Pearl Harbor—to the sweet poignancy of "A One-Chopstick Marriage"—the story of her parents' relationship—Kakugawa weaves a tapestry of memories drawn from life in a Hawaiian plantation village now buried beneath a blanket of lava. "Kakugawa's amazing recall of details helps remind us of the beautiful innocence and naivete of youth and the realities of growing up poor in Hawaii—all too cognizant of the ethnic, linguistic and cultural barriers she would have to overcome to realize her literary dreams," says Guy Aoki, Founding President, Media Action Network for Asian Americans. Author Charles Pellegrino calls it "a rare poetic history that will make you think, laugh and cry."