Intersections: Asian and Pacific American Transcultural Studies. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2018. xii, 160 pp. (Figures, B&W photos.) US$17.99, paper. ISBN 978-0-8248-7727-9.
Tom Coffman traces five generations of the Miwa family, from Japan to Hawai‘i, providing a fascinating nonfiction account of a transnational family history. Coffman’s expertise in the field of political history in Hawai‘i led to a serendipitous meeting between himself and fifth-generation Japanese American Stephen Miwa that further led to Coffman’s book, Tadaima! I Am Home: A Transnational Family History.
“Tadaima,” in the book’s title, is a Japanese phrase that reveals larger themes explored within the work. It is a greeting that means “I am home.” The concept of home is developed throughout this four-part, nine-chapter book to weave in important theoretical and historical discussions around place, belonging, culture, and identity. These are important threads Coffman uses to retell the multigenerational transnational story of the Miwa family. From the internal conflicts of a Hiroshima samurai, we follow Marujiro Miwa’s journey to Hawai‘i, which led to the rise of the Miwa family’s success through transnational trade that was later impacted by World War II. I was intrigued by this human story of overcoming challenges to succeed as so-called aliens in Honolulu. This book is both visually and intellectually enticing for readers; its cover contains images that pique interest prior to reading the text, which later contribute more meaning to the work as a whole as one becomes more engrossed in the Miwa family journeys. Throughout the chapters there are relevant images that capture the faces of Miwa family members and further convey their story. At certain points in the narratives, I was drawn to pause and reflect on the wealth of lessons lived and learned by the Miwa family.
This family saga begins and ends with Stephen Miwa, who sets out on a quest for answers about his family’s not-so-fortunate events. During this time, he sought the help of author Tom Coffman to assist his research efforts about his family’s story. The seed of this search began with a comment made by Stephen’s mother about how the Miwa family were “unlucky,” which led Stephen to seek the truths behind her words (ix). For the purpose of a timeline, it would have been beneficial for the reader to know the exact year that Stephen initiated the family history project with Coffman, as it is not clear from the records and conversations between the two. Furthermore, throughout the book, dates around specific family events are not clear. For this reason, I found it distracting to read some parts of the multigenerational narratives, and often found myself returning to previous chapters to realign my thoughts around the timeline before continuing to read. Readers who are not knowledgeable of the history of the places and peoples mentioned may find it difficult to follow the history-heavy sections covered in chapters 1, 4, 8, and 9. However, these chapters also provide insight into key elements and changes regarding the historical interactions between Hawai‘i, Japan, and the United States mainland from the 1880s until the 1960s—interactions which, in turn, influenced the Miwa family’s movements and success. For these reasons, this historical narrative becomes a useful text both for secondary and tertiary studies of the social and economic impacts of politics. Several reviewers have already commented on the value and necessity of this book for political and historical researchers within the tertiary sector. As an educator within the secondary sector, I would also highly recommend this book as a robust and insightful nonfiction text for an English and humanities syllabus for senior-level secondary education.
According to Coffman, in his acknowledgement of sources (153), key family documents gave the book a “genealogical spine.” In particular, the diary of Stephen’s father, Larry Miwa, provides the reader with a relatable anchor for the family narrative in Japan. This primary source is valuable in providing readers with a window into the family’s transnational accumulation of wealth in Japan that had been spurred by the transnational efforts of three generations before. Larry, being the fourth-generation figure in this story, gives a resounding answer to Stephen’s question about whether the Miwa family were unlucky or not. We discover in chapter 7, “A Schoolboy’s Diary,” that material wealth and success were evident in the rental properties and local acclaim given to the Miwa family in Hiroshima. We also understand then, in this second to last chapter, that the turning points and key decisions made by second generation Senkichi Miwa and third generation James Seigo Miwa raised their family status in Hawai‘i from anonymity to entrepreneurial fame between Hawai‘i and Japan.
Importantly, this human story is about the survival of a Japanese family during the aftermath of the Hiroshima atomic bomb and the family’s agency during and after World War II as both Americans in Japan and “enemy aliens” or “prisoners of war” in the United States. As a result of war, the Miwa family lost their rights to their properties and assets and later rebuilt their status in Hawai‘i through their educational achievements. This book represents the remarkable journeys and feats made by the Miwa family in their search for betterment through transnational migration. Their story contributes a contextualized understanding of the intricacies involved in multigenerational, transnational migration and development, not only from a political and economic perspective, but more importantly from a sociocultural one.
Ruth (Lute) Faleolo
University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia