Patsy Iwasaki
Patsy Y. Iwasaki, Ph.D., was born and raised on Kaua‘i surrounded by sugar cane. Her grandparents immigrated to Hawai‘i from Hiroshima Prefecture and worked on the Lihue Sugar Plantation.
Dr. Iwasaki is currently an English Department faculty member at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. Her book Hamakua Hero tells the story of Japanese immigrant Katsu Goto and his experience in Hawai'i.
Dr. Iwasaki joins us live via WebEx on Tuesday, July 11, 10:30 am.
Audience: Grades 7-12
In 1885, tens of thousands of men and women left behind family, friends, and their homeland to work on the sugar plantations of Hawai‘i. Filled with hopes and dreams, they were drawn to this tropical paradise to seek their fortunes.
Hāmākua Hero: A True Plantation Story brings the Japanese-Hawai‘i immigrant experience to life through one man’s hardships, success, injustice and tragedy, shedding light on an intriguing but little known piece of Hawai‘i’s past.