Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese American Family

The construction, erasure, and subsequent rebuilding of Japanese-American identity is one of the dominant themes in Desert Exile. A major nerve of tension throughout the story is Uchida’s confusion about what it means to be a Japanese American. This uncertainty stems from being the child of parents whose native Japan is at war with their adopted country, the country of their children’s birth. Uchida’s narrative traces the arc of this theme as she goes from studying for university exams on the day of Pearl Harbor, to the FBI arresting her father that same day, to being bussed away south of San Francisco, to an internment camp.

As Desert Exile opens, Uchida paints the picture of Mr. and Mrs. Uchida as well respected local leaders, who sought out the Uchidas’ hospitality and advice when they arrived in America. Dwight Uchida is a successful businessman who locks up the local church on Sundays, after Mass. Mrs. Uchida is president of the church’s Women’s Society. The family lives in a mostly white area of Berkeley, in a home with flourishing gardens, sweetpeas and zinnias. The Uchidas participate in a bustling Japanese-American Christian community. Through self-discipline, hard work and familial piety, they areachieving the American Dream.