Graduation Speeches by Nisei Students, 1932
Oration and Essays by the Japanese Second Generation of America
Publication: Los Angeles: Printed by the Los Angeles Japanese Daily News, 1932. First Edition.
Notes: "A collection of public school talks and essays by the second generation."—Buried Past, 455.
"Compilation of 26 graduation addresses and essays by Nisei students in California schools in 1932."—JANM bibliography, 47.
The speeches are about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, American government, the future of California, the Olympics (held that year in Los Angeles), and the value of the educational system, often with commentary about the position of Japanese Americans in US society.
The thesis of the book is nicely summarized by Haruko Fujita of the Arcadia Grammar School: "We, the American citizens of Japanese origin, should make it our task to bring about a better understanding spiritually, morally, and politically, between the two civilizations. This can best be done perhaps by living loyal, honest, and dependable lives."
ix, 118 pages. In English except for a two-page introduction and the spine text., which are in Japanese. An expanded edition was issued in 1935. The editor's daughter, Joyce Hirohata, reissued the second edition as Nisei Voices in 2004.
OCLC (first edition): 7351311
Edition + Condition: First edition (first printing). A very good to near fine copy in red cloth-covered boards.
Item No: #308125
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