145 - Naomi Hirahara, Novelist and Historian of California and Asian American History

January 07, 2025 00:52:56
145 - Naomi Hirahara, Novelist and Historian of California and Asian American History
History of California Podcast
145 - Naomi Hirahara, Novelist and Historian of California and Asian American History

Jan 07 2025 | 00:52:56

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Show Notes

Naomi Hirahara is an Edgar Award-winning author of multiple traditional mystery series and noir short stories. Her Mas Arai mysteries, which have been published in Japanese, Korean and French, feature a Los Angeles gardener and Hiroshima survivor who solves crimes. Her first historical mystery, Clark and Division, which won a Mary Higgins Clark Award, follows a Japanese American family’s move to Chicago in 1944 after being released from a California wartime detention center. A former journalist with The Rafu Shimpo newspaper, Naomi has also written numerous non-fiction history books and curated exhibitions. She has also written a middle-grade novel, 1001 Cranes. Her follow-up to Clark and Division, Evergreen, was released in August 2023 and was on the USA Today bestseller list for two weeks.

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