Monica Sone

In the following essay, Monica Sone, an internee at the Minidoka relocation center in Idaho, relates the story of her release by the War Relocation Authority (WRA). Second generation Japanese Americans [Nisei] who applied to college or were able to find jobs and housing were permitted to resettle in the Midwest and the East by the WRA. Though still not permitted to return to the West Coast, Sone was enthusiastic about getting a chance to start her life over in the midwest. Two years after enrolling in Wendell College in southern Indiana, Sone returned to the Minidoka camp to visit her parents, who were planning to return to the family hotel in Seattle, Washington, following their own release. During the visit, Sone realized how the relocation, though horrible in many respects, did help her come to terms with her Japanese roots. Sone writes...