Criminals - by Ben Masaoka (Paperback)

About the Book

A sister and brother struggle to free themselves from the weight of their parents' generation in a Japanese American community in Los Angeles in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Book Synopsis

Criminals follows the lives of a sister and brother, Ruth and Hank Tanazaki, as they struggle to free themselves from the weight of their parents' generation in a small Japanese American community in Los Angeles in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This poignant story of the double-edged nature of community-a force that supports the group, but often at the expense of the individual-explores the possibilities and limits of seeking personal freedom through creativity. Masaoka's dazzling, deeply-moving debut is also an eloquent addition to the canon of Asian American literature.

Review Quotes

"This decades-spanning story of a Japanese American family is filled with artfully crafted scenes, memorable characters, and a rare compassion that highlights our common humanity and suffering. Ben Masaoka's debut novel is thoroughly engaging and a joy to read." -Charles Johnson, author of Middle Passage, National Book Award winner

"With restraint and grace, Ben Masaoka has written my idea of a perfect novel. Criminals is a haunting and wondrous work, unsettling and beautiful." -Elizabeth McKenzie, author of The Dog of the North

"Gaman is the Japanese word for 'perseverance.' If you were a Japanese American boy in Los Angeles in the 1960s, you had to gaman it every day-you had four seconds to climb the rope in gym class; one second to react when someone pulled on their eyes and called you a Nip; and a lifetime to remember your father coming home after a day of mowing other people's lawns. In Ben Masaoka's remarkable Criminals, America is Godzilla rising from the sea at Venice Beach to stomp on the Japanese American Dream, barely noticing the dreamers below as they fight back with rocks, sticks and gaman. Masaoka's hang-loose brilliance takes us on a vividly observed, wonderfully quirky, and deeply moving exploration of generational trauma. He captures the desires, blows, and little victories of a family on the fringes of a community where everyone is trying so hard not to rock the boat, they don't notice their children are adrift. He tells a story that touched every nerve in my Japanese American soul." -Steven Okazaki, Academy Award-winning filmmaker