Imperfect Circles

An awkward family reunion sets in motion a lengthy quest to understand racial identity in this fast-moving memoir penned by first-time author and psychotherapist Suzuki. Raised in Chicago, Suzuki%E2%80%94an Asian-American who, prior to writing the book, knew little about her Japanese heritage%E2%80%94creatively reconstructs a convoluted family history that dates back to her great-grandparents' trip from Japan to Seattle in the early 1920s. The author describes her efforts to convince reluctant relatives to discuss the family's experience in Japanese-American internment camps during World War II, as well as their subsequent struggles to survive and succeed in America. Suzuki opens with a brief history of the internment camps that were established by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in late 1941, and goes on to paint a vivid portrait of her life and her family's history through a series of engaging vignettes, including transcriptions of e-mails and telephone conversations, and recollections of childhood memories.