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The legacy of Toshio Mori: The first Japanese American to publish a book of fiction

Yokohama CA 002_credit Steven Y Mori.jpg
Courtesy of Steven Y. Mori
Toshio Mori carved out time to write every evening.

In 194,1 aspiring writer Toshio Mori sent the manuscript for his first book toCaldwell-based Caxton Printers, hoping to get his collection of fiction stories about the problems of the Japanese people living in America, published.

Caxton’s founder liked the book and they set a date to publish it. Five days later Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and a couple of months after,r Mori and his family were sent to an internment camp in Utah and Caxton decided to delay printing his book.

It would take another eight years after WWII ended until Caxton decided to publish the book, making Mori the first Japanese American to publish a book of fiction.

Alessandro Meregaglia is an Assistant Professor and archivist at Boise State’s Albertsons library and joins Idaho Matters to talk more about Mori’s story.

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As Senior Producer of our live daily talk show Idaho Matters, I’m able to indulge my love of storytelling and share all kinds of information (I was probably a Town Crier in a past life!). My career has allowed me to learn something new everyday and to share that knowledge with all my friends on the radio.