Oh! Poston, Why Don't You Cry for Me? And Other Stops Along the Way (book)

Memoir by Paul Okimoto, a Nisei who grew up in San Diego, California, and spent his childhood years incarcerated with his family at Poston . Postwar chapters tell stories of his many travels, business ventures, and encounters with notable people. The title of the book comes from a Nisei adaptation of the song "Oh! Susanna" sung in Poston.

A Christian pastor in Japan, Paul's father was allowed to come to San Diego in 1937 with his wife and two young children, one of whom was Paul, the eldest, born in 1935. Paul was thus technically an Issei though his life experiences and age cohort were Nisei. The family came to include two more children. Okimoto writes about the family's barrack in Poston III, memorable teachers, and various childhood adventures with Poston friends, while also writing about Issei life in the camp and about friends (whom he met later in life) who were " no-nos " and also about the exploits of the Nisei soldiers . After the war, the Okimotos returned to San Diego, later moving to San Lorenzo in northern California where Paul attended high school. The remainder of the book is episodic, jumping around in time to recount various adventures from his life as well as reflections on his parents and the stories behind his two marriages. One of those he writes about is the sculptor Shinkichi Tajiri, whose family were neighbors to the Okimotos in San Diego. Paul's siblings include Daniel , an educator and memoirist, and Ruth , an artist and chronicler of Poston.

Might also like: American in Disguise by Daniel Okimoto; In Search of Hiroshi by Gene Oishi; Sleeping on Potatoes: A Lumpy Adventure from Manzanar to the Corporate Tower by Carl Nomura;