Where to Learn More About Chicago’s Japanese-American History
by Allison Yates
Read & Run Chicago has hosted two book club runs inspired by Naomi Hirahara’s Clark and Division, a gripping novel that takes place in World War II-era Chicago, a time in which thousands of Japanese-Americans are relocated to inland cities–like Chicago–after being uprooted from their homes and placed in forced internment camps. Main character Aki arrives in Chicago's Near North Side to reunite with her older sister, and instead finds herself faced with a tragedy and personal challenges.
In the novel, Aki’s mom works at a Barber Shop. Here is a real-life barber shop that existed in Chicago during that time.
During these events, Read & Run Chicago guide Chelsey Grassfield spoke about Aki’s journey and what Chicago’s Near North Side would have looked like for Japanese-American migrants in the 1940s. While this period in Chicago’s history is relatively unknown to those outside of the Japanese-American community, there are luckily many archives, websites, and books dedicated to the topic.
With notes taken from Naomi Hirahara’s research plus resources gleaned from our own deep dive into the topic, the list below is a great accompaniment to the Hirahara’s novel. You’ll find nonfiction, blog posts, reporting, and more to help you learn more about Chicago’s Near North side and the Japanese-American businesses and residences that once lined its streets.
Here are six books, websites, or people you consult to learn more about Chicago’s Japanese-American History.
Japanese Americans in Chicago by Alice Murata
Over 200 photographs and stories from Chicagoans impacted by Japanese-American relocation to the city.
Discover Nikkei
A website dedicated to Japanese migrants and their descendants. Hirahara shared that the following articles on Discover Nikkei were particularly helpful in crafting the setting and characters in Clark and Division: Clark and Division community, Southside community, and Lakeview community.
WBEZ
Our favorite NPR affiliate has done wonderful reporting and in-depth stories on Chicago’s once thriving Japanese-American communty. Naomi Hirahara loved this article featuring high-quality photo archives and stories from Ross Harano, a historian and activists that spoke at Read & Run Chicago’s May 2022 book club run.
Newberry Library
The stunning Newberry Library houses the Chicago Japanese-American Yearbook in its special digital collections. When it was published in 1947, the yearbook shared information on housing, churches, clubs, and more for Japanese-Americans forcibly relocated to the Windy City. Its advertisements from Japanese-American businesses also give us a unique look into the impact this community had on the Near North.
The Newberry Library’s digital collections include the Chicago Japanese-American Yearbook
Erik Matsunaga
Historian and community activist Erik Matsunaga writes about Japanese-American history of Chicago’s Near North Side and also runs the Instagram account @WindyCityNikkei, an invaluable historical resource. Along with Bob Kumaki, Erik Matsunaga played a key part in Hirahara’s research. When she came to Chicago in preparation for the novel, he accompanied her to many important sites now featured in the book.
“In the Twilight Zone between Black and White: Japanese American Resettlement and Community in Chicago, 1942-1945," by Charlotte Brooks
Published in 2000 in the Journal of American History, this academic articles gives an honest depiction of the challenges and realities of relocation in this communtiy.