Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II

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Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II

The Library Foundation welcomes the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Boys in the Boat for a conversation about his latest masterful work. Daniel James Brown’s new World War II saga, Facing the Mountain, follows a special Japanese-American Army unit that overcame brutal odds in Europe. Brown’s unforgettable chronicle is a culmination of his extensive interviews with the families of the protagonists as well as deep archival research. This kaleidoscopic story uncovers the journey of four Japanese-American families and their sons, who volunteered for 442nd Regimental Combat Team and were deployed to France, Germany, and Italy, where they were asked to do the near impossible. Brown is the author of The Indifferent Stars Above and Under a Flaming Sky, which was a finalist for the B&N Discover Great New Writers Award. He was also awarded the ALA’s Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction for The Boys in the Boat. Please join us for an inspiring story of patriotism and courage as Brown illuminates this overlooked history of America at war.
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Daniel James Brown

Daniel James Brown is the author of The Indifferent Stars Above and Under a Flaming Sky, which was a finalist for the B&N Discover Great New Writers Award, as well as The Boys in the Boat, a New York Times bestselling book that was awarded the ALA’s Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. He has taught writing at San José State University and Stanford University. He lives outside Seattle.

Tom Ikeda is the founding Executive Director of Densho. Tom is a sansei (third-generation Japanese American) who was born and raised in Seattle. Tom’s parents and grandparents were incarcerated during World War II in Minidoka, Idaho. In addition to leading the organization over the last 24 years, Tom has conducted more than 250 video-recorded, oral history interviews with Japanese Americans. Prior to working at Densho, Tom was a General Manager at Microsoft Corporation in the Multimedia Publishing Group. Tom has received numerous awards for his community and historical contributions, including the Humanities Washington Award for outstanding achievement in the public humanities, the National JACL Japanese American of the Biennium Award, the Microsoft Alumni Integral Fellows Award, the Japanese American National Museum Founder’s Award, and the Robert Gray Medal from the Washington State Historical Society.