about the book
Tomi Itano is a proud second-generation Japanese American. She lives on a strawberry farm in California with her family, says the Pledge of Allegiance every day in school, and only speaks English—she doesn’t even know Japanese!
But Pearl Harbor changed everything.
Now Tomi and her little brother can’t even buy candy from the store they’ve always shopped at. The sign says, “No Japs Allowed.”
Then the FBI shows up on the farm, questioning why her Pop bought all that gasoline and fertilizer, whether he listens to the radio, and whether his newspaper is in English or Japanese. Pop’s answers and their landlord’s support don’t make a difference. The FBI takes Pop away.
Tomi and the rest of her family are sent to an internment camp in Colorado, along with many other Japanese American families.
How could her country treat her and her family this way? They’re not the enemy! What does she need to do to prove she is an honorable American?
about the author
Sandra Dallas was born in 1939 in Washington, D.C., but her family moved to Colorado in 1945 and that is where she spent her childhood and most of her adult life. She claims that she has always been a snoop. Even as a child catching the bus home after evening piano lessons, she would peer into the lighted windows of the large historic homes, wondering about the people who lived in the grand houses. As an adult, she would photograph many of these historical houses and actually take on the daunting task of reclaiming one abandoned mansion.
The various places in the state where she has lived and photographed have inspired many of her stories. She is also inspired by the diaries of the female settlers who made their way to the state and the quilts the women made. Most of her novels center on themes of friendship, loyalty, and human dignity. She is an award-winning author of thirteen adult novels, two children’s books, and ten non-fiction tomes.
Sandra earned a degree in journalism from the University of Denver and then spent 25 years as a staff member for Business Week, writing about the Rocky Mountain region. In 1969, she was promoted to Denver Bureau Chief, the first female to attain that position for a national news magazine. She has also written book reviews, especially for nonfiction books on Colorado history, and has owned and run a publishing company, Lick Skillet Press. Sandra has been named “Colorado’s Exceptional Chronicler of Western History” by the University of Denver and the Denver Public Library.
Today Sandra lives with her husband, Bob, in both Denver and Georgetown, Colorado. They have two grown daughters, Dana and Povy.
Sources:
Author website
Author spotlight: Denver Library
Author spotlight: Denver Post
Also by Sandra Dallas:
The Quilt Walk. Sleeping Bear Press. 2012.
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