Press Coverage Still Strong; Third Printing Ordered

The last week has seen continuing strong press coverage for Vanished.

Editor Nick Welsh of the Santa Barbara Independent called the book “emotionally moving and historically complex.”

Columnist George Toshio Johnston in the Rafu Shimpo of Los Angeles mentioned the book for the second time, this time with a photo of Carrie Otani from M&S Pharmacy in Los Angeles where the book is on sale. The caption reads: “She said it sold out and a second shipment has come in for sale.”

The Santa Maria Sun published Chapter 16 of the book with a color cover photo of Kenji Ota and a half-page inside shot of Kaoru Bill Honda. The story title is “Nobody Will Sit with Me,” the comment made in the pages of Vanished by Kenzo Nishimura on his first day back at school on December 8, 1941. Honda is pictured seated on his couch and Ota is seated cross-legged on the mat of his judo dojo.

Monday George Yoshitake and John McReynolds spoke to a crowd of 150 at the Lompoc Valley Historical Society. They had a great time and sold twelve more books! John got a chance to meet Irma Bortolazzo Gadway, a childhood friend of Terry Wakumoto. Those two will soon be in contact. Jim Sloan asked to be remembered to the Shimomura family.

Chaucer’s bookstore in Santa Barbara, the Santa Maria Library book shop, the Book Loft in Solvang and Sushi Teri Restaurant in Lompoc all ordered more books this week.

With all this activity we have decided to invest in a third printing. This will not only give us more copies but will allow us to correct errors regarding the birthplace of Robert Iwamoto (he was born in Kanagawa despite what it says on page 37), the misspelling of Miyagishima on page 16, and Terry Wakumoto not being nisei but sansei. We will also add a definition of “joss house.”   

The speaking date at the Berkeley Buddhist Temple is being changed. Check back next week or so for the new date.

Thank you, everybody for all your support.