SEASONS OF STORIES
BOOK CLUB AT SHINZEN GARDEN
Join Shinzen Garden's New Book Club - Seasons of Stories
Seasons of Stories is a new book club at Shinzen Garden that invites readers to gather in the natural setting of the garden to explore literature inspired by Japanese culture and explore books from Japanese American authors. We will be diving into a thoughtfully selected book each month and enjoy meaningful conversations surrounded by the beauty of the garden. All are welcome—bring your curiosity and love for stories!
July 2025 Book Selection
Facing the Mountain: An inspiring Story of Japanese American Patriots in World War II
By Daniel James Brown
In the days and months after Pearl Harbor, the lives of Japanese Americans across the continent and Hawaii were changed forever. In this unforgettable chronicle of war-time America and the battlefields of Europe, Daniel James Brown portrays the journey of Rudy Tokiwa, Fred Shiosaki, and Kats Miho, who volunteered for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and were deployed to France, Germany, and Italy, where they were asked to do the near impossible.
Brown also tells the story of these soldiers’ parents, immigrants who were forced to submit to life in concentration camps on U.S. soil. Woven throughout is the chronicle of Gordon Hirabayashi, one of a cadre of patriotic resisters who stood up against their government in defense of their own rights.
Whether fighting on battlefields or in courtrooms, these were Americans under unprecedented strain, doing what Americans do best—striving, resisting, pushing back, rising up, standing on principle, laying down their lives, and enduring.