Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review"The wartime diary of Tokita is . . . a fascinating primary document, filled with uncertainties and ambivalence that make some of the received wisdom about the internment camps feel a little too pat. Even though the reader knows, in general terms, how the story came out, the suspense in this eyewitness account is considerable."
* Seattle Times *
"Examines Tokita’s art in the context of his life and the historic events that he lived through, integrating it all into a deeply moving human story."
* International Examiner *
"Barbara Johns examines Tokita's art in the context of his life and the historic events that he lived through, integrating it all into a deeply moving human story."
-- Susan Kunimatsu * International Examiner *
"To see history unfold through Tokita's words and images is to gain a whole new perspective on that conflict [Japanese internment during World War II] and the nature of all immigrants to America who suddenly find themselves identified as the enemy."
-- Bob Duggan * Bigthink.com *
"A fascinating book that accomplishes more than one purpose. The first part is a biography of Tokita . . . the second is Tokita's diary from 1941-44. . . . Signs of Home includes plenty of examples that prove his status as an important regional artist."
-- Jeff Baker * The Oregonian *
". . . one of the more beautiful and soulful books you might lay your hands on . . ."
-- Mike Dillon * City Living *
"If 'painting Seattle' feels like the welcome restoration of a long-lost chapter in local art history, the wartime diary is a thornier business . . . filled with uncertainties and ambivalence that make some of the received wisdom about the internment camps feel a little too pat."
-- Michael Upchurch * The Seattle Times *
