Winner of the American Book Award

Based on the author's own experiences, this award-winning novel was the first to tell the story of the evacuation, relocation, and dispersal of Canadian citizens of Japanese ancestry during the Second World War.

JOY KOGAWA was born in Vancouver in 1935 to Japanese- Canadian parents. During WWII, Joy and her family were forced to move to Slocan, British Columbia, as part of the Canadian government's policy to relocate and intern Japanese-Canadians. Kogawa is the author of several award-winning novels and volumes of poetry. In 1986, Kogawa was made a Member of the Order of Canada; in 2006, she was made a Member of the Order of British Columbia. She lives in Toronto.