JAMsj will present another compelling book talk, this time with author Naomi Hirahara. She will discuss her latest book, Strawberry Yellow, on May 4, 2013, at 1:00 p.m at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj). This book is Naomi’s fifth book in her Edgar-winning detective series. This series features a curmudgeon of a Japanese-American gardener and unwitting detective, Mas Arai. He is a memorable protagonist unlike any other: a Hiroshima survivor, gardener, widower, gambler, grandfather, and solver of crimes. In Strawberry Yellow, he returns to the California strawberry farms of his youth and encounters not only family intrigue but also danger and eventually murder.

Hirahara was born in Pasadena, California. Her father Isamu (known as "Sam"), was also born in California, but was taken to Hiroshima, Japan, as an infant. He was only miles away from the epicenter of the atomic bomb blast in 1945, yet managed to survive. Naomi's mother Mayumi (known as"May”) was born in Hiroshima and lost her father in the blast. Shortly after the end of World War II, Sam returned to the Los Angeles and eventually established himself in the gardening and landscaping trade.

For more details about Naomi Hirahara and her books, visit http://www.naomihirahara.com/

Cost: Entry is free with admission to the museum (non-members, $5; students and seniors over age 65, $3; JAMsj members and children under 12, free).

To RSVP, contact PublicPrograms@jamsj.org or call (408) 294-3138.