ABSTRACT
Growing up as a Japanese American means a constant search for an identity. Even if one is monolingual and can speak only English, and knows nothing about the Japanese language and culture, one quickly learns that there are questions concerning an American identity. Comments such as, “Where did you learn how to speak English so well?” or “Why did your people bomb Pearl Harbor?” are reminders that acculturation and identifying as an American are insufficient criteria for belonging to the host society.
