Stanley Hayami: Nisei Son—His Diary, Letters, & Story

Stanley Hayami: Nisei Son—His Diary, Letters, & Story: From American Concentration Camp to Battlefield, 1942-1945

Annotated by Joanne Oppenheim. Foreword by Senator Daniel Inouye.

In November of 1942, Stanley Hayami began keeping a diary that captures the harsh reality of living in a concentration camp at Heart Mountain Wyoming, and his personal struggles as a student, son, brother, friend, and citizen of the world, who despite all obstacles, holds onto his dreams of the future.

Stan’s diary serves as witness to a dark time in our history and is told through the eyes of a teenager who will soon be expected to take up the responsibility of a man. As you read his diary, you will discover Stan’s creative talents, as well as his idealism, his optimism, and his aspirations. He has a quirky sense of humor, along with a more serious side, and dreams of a “United Nations of Earth.”

Weeks after graduation from Heart Mountain High School in 1944 Stanley was drafted into the 442nd RCT. His story “beyond the diary” is told through his recently found letters, from interviews with family, friends, and brothers in arms. The foreword is written by his platoon leader, Daniel Inouye, who fought with Stanley during the last days of the war in Europe. Paper: 200 pp.

Joanne Oppenheim is the author of Dear Miss Breed: True Stories of the Japanese American Incarceration During World War II and a Librarian Who Made a Difference.

Stan Hayami's diary is part of the Japanese American National Museum’s permanent collection.

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