Best-selling author shares insight on multicultural history
Jamie Ford presents his book, "The Japanese Internment, and Lies we Tell Ourselves" on Sept. 27 in Pearce 127.
Jamie Ford's novel, “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” was on the New York Times bestseller list for two years.
Ford spoke about his novels and his writing process on Sept. 27.
When he set out to write “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet,” he wanted to write something multicultural and historical, tied into a love story.
“Love stories are these interesting creatures; we see them through the lens of our own personal experience and we react accordingly,” Ford said.
The novel focuses on Henry, a Chinese-American boy who was sent to an all-white private school by his parents, so he could become more American. He met a young Japanese-American girl named Keiko, who was sent there for the same reason, and they bonded with one another. Eventually, Keiko and her family were sent away to a Japanese Internment camp and Henry lost her.
“I love seeing readers partake in the emotional currency that’s spent in the book, whether it’s the bitter of the internment or sweet of the love story,” Ford said.
Ford read journals and went to internment camps to truly understand what happened.
He said he didn’t anticipate the impact the novel would have, or that it would get banned in Arizona for promoting multiculturalism.
“I wish we didn’t have to talk about it. I wish we could just talk about Harry Potter or something,” Ford said. “I wish it wasn’t germane. I wish the incarceration of people because of their ethnicity wasn’t at the front of our political spectrum anymore.”
Saugatuck sophomore Kayla Carper said she was mesmerized by Ford. He inspired her to become more aware of current events, and to be aware of half-truths in the politically charged times.
Ford uses his novels to teach history and tell the stories of other cultures. In the process, he said, he discovers more about himself.
Kalamazoo freshman Elizabeth O'Connell said she read "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" over the summer, and she didn't know that how personally connected Ford was to his novel.
“I didn’t realize how much of himself he put into all of his books,” O’Connell said.
Ford said putting all of himself into the characters is what makes them come alive on the page.
He knew where he fell on the emotional Richter scale from a young age, and he uses it in his writing.
“When you write, you open a vein and bleed on the page,” Ford said.
