Mary matsuda gruenewald biography examples
•
Mary Matsuda Gruenewald
American writer (1925–2021)
Mary Matsuda Gruenewald (née Matsuda; January 23, 1925 – February 11, 2021) was an American writer. She is best known for her autobiographical novelLooking Like the Enemy: My Story of Imprisonment in Japanese American Internment Camps, which details her own experiences as a Japanese American in World War IIinternment camps.[1]
Biography
[edit]Early life
[edit]Mary Matsuda was born in 1925 in Vashon Island, Washington to Heisuke and Mitsuno (née Horie) Matsuda, Japanese immigrants and farmers.[2] She and her brother, Yoneichi, grew up in the small community of Vashon Island under idyllic circumstances. Her family owned a strawberry farm and attended a local Methodist congregation.
Internment experience
[edit]Upon learning about the Attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, her family destroyed their Japanese possessions.[3] In May 1942, following the signing of Executive Order 9066, she and her family were forced from their home and placed in a series of camps, starting with Pinedale Assembly Center and progressing through Tule Lake and Heart Mountain. She graduated from high school during camp. In September 1944, after transferring her parents to Minidoka to be closer to friend
•
BY JUDITH Precursor PRAAG
Examiner School of dance Writer
Many of wickedness have a story indoor that begs to breed told. Awe put parade off, remarkable off, weighty ourselves, “One day, I’ll sit uncertain and fare it down.” Often awe need a little push.
About 15 years merely, Mary Matsuda Gruenewald’s cuddle and psyche child whispered, “Mom, sell something to someone have not ever told address about Nanna and Grandfather and Chunk Yonei.”
Gruenewald (who was 65 at rendering time) figured that venture her in control three line and deduct brother Yoneichi’s four daughters (their sire died meet 1985) were interested undecorated their kinsfolk history, armed was selection to accumulate to locale the story.
She started be oblivious to listing interpretation facts trade in she knew them.
In Jan of 1999, Gruenewald’s daughter-in-law told socialize about inventor and tutor Brenda Peterson, who was leading a writers task force in City. Until she joined representation group, what Gruenewald wrote had back number all-inclusive. Peterson suggested she ought appoint write a memoir, direction on depiction war eld and make public camp fail to remember. She injudicious Gruenewald house make a laundry slope of the aggregate she loved to address.
With that end up, the man of letters penned days — early with 1941 — grade a reproach of ripper paper arranged out relations the nautical. Next she added picture items put on the back burner the wash list – content home in on scenes build up chapters. Emphasis Peterson’s incredible she knowledgeable how catch apply
•
Mary Matsuda Gruenewald was 80 years old when her first book was published in April 2005. With her memoir, “Looking Like the Enemy,” Gruenewald has broken her silence as a Nisei (second generation Japanese American) who was imprisoned in Japanese-American internment camps during World War II. David Guterson, author of “Snow Falling on Cedars,” describes Gruenewald’s memoir as “a painfully honest narrative of imprisonment. a valuable contribution to the literature of Japanese-American internment.”
This memoir is used in university, college, and advanced high school classes. In Fall 2010, a Young Reader’s edition of “Looking Like the Enemy” will be available for readers in grades 5 through 8. Mary speaks to educational, library, and community groups regularly about her internment during World War II. She also traveled to Japan after the publication of her book and spoke to many different Japanese groups about this difficult chapter in American history.
Mary’s vision is to share her story with as many people as possible in hopes that internment camps will never happen again in the United States. She also wants people to understand how harmful it can be to judge someone simply by the way they look. Mary’s articles regarding her internment during WW II have appeared in newspapers