We Are Here

Naomi Hirahara

Hachette

A Scent of Flowers traces the century-long contributions of Japanese Americans and other ethnic Americans to the Southern California floricultural industry.Where there are now schools, shopping centers, and freeways were once acres of flowers, ranging from sweet peas and daisies to chrysanthemums and carnations. The Southern California Flower Market, founded by Japanese immigrants in 1912, was the first centralized center for flower sales in the region. Flower growers traveled by the electric train system and panel trucks before dawn to sell their fragrant and colorful crops in downtown Los Angeles. This unusual nocturnal lifestyle created deep bonds among men, women, and children who would face being forcibly removed from their ranches during WWII. The strong foundation of the Flower Market was able to withstand this disruption, and it still continues to operate in full occupancy today.Enter this vibrant world through the stories and photographs of these hard-working families. Through their experiences, readers will get a sense of how Southern California and its people have evolved from when the land was filled with fields of food and flowers.Includes numerous b/w photographs. Hardbound: 231 pp.

A Scent of Flowers: The History of the Southern California Flower Market 1912--2004

History

Americas

Midori Books

From the time she was a child, Mas Arai's daughter, Mari, was completely gasa-gasa—never sitting still, always on the go, getting into everything. And Mas, busy tending lawns, gambling, and struggling to put his Hiroshima past behind him, never had much time for the family he was trying to support. For years now his resentful daughter has lived a continent away in New York City and had a life he knew little about. But an anxious phone call from Mari asking for his help plunges the usually obstinate Mas into a series of startling situations, from maneuvering in an unfamiliar city to making nice with his tall, blond son-in-law, Lloyd, to taking care of a sickly child...to finding a dead body in the rubble of a former koi pond. The victim was Kazzy Ouchi, a half-Japanese millionaire who also happened to be Mari and Lloyd's boss. Stumbling onto the scene, Mas sees more amiss than the detectives do, but his instinct is to keep his mouth shut. Only when the case threatens his daughter and her family does Mas take action: patiently, stubbornly tugging at the end of a tangled, dangerous mystery. And as he does, he begins to lay bare a tragic secret on the dark side of an American dream.... Both a riveting mystery and a powerful story of passionate relationships across a cultural divide, Gasa-Gasa Girl is a tale told with heart and wisdom: an unforgettable portrait of fathers, daughters, and other strangers.

Gasa-Gasa Girl (Mas Arai Mysteries)

Literature & Fiction

Genre Fiction

Audible Studios on Brilliance Audio

In the foothills of Pasadena, Mas Arai is just another Japanese-American gardener, his lawnmower blades clean and sharp, his truck carefully tuned. But while Mas keeps lawns neatly trimmed, his own life has gone to seed. His wife is dead. And his livelihood is falling into the hands of the men he once hired by the day. For Mas, a life of sin is catching up to him. And now bachi―the spirit of retribution―is knocking on his door. It begins when a stranger comes around, asking questions about a nurseryman who once lived in Hiroshima, a man known as Joji Haneda. By the end of the summer, Joji will be dead, and Mas' own life will be in danger. For while Mas was building a life on the edge of the American dream, he has kept powerful secrets: about three friends long ago, about two lives entwined, and about what really happened when the bomb fell on Hiroshima in August 1945. A spellbinding mystery played out from war-torn Japan to the rich tidewaters of LA's multicultural landscape, this stunning debut novel weaves a powerful tale of family, loyalty, and the price of both survival and forgiveness.

Summer of the Big Bachi (Mas Arai Mysteries)

Terminal Island: Lost Communities of Los Angeles Harbor

Geraldine Knatz

Angel City Press

Clark & Division

Ars Vivendi

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Books by Naomi Hirahara