Naomi Hirahara discusses her book, “Gasa-Gasa Girl.” She begins by explaining that this book is the sequel to the book “Summer of the Big Bachi. ” In this book the character from the first book, Mas, is struggling to put his memories of the bombing of Hiroshima behind him and has received a phone call from his estranged daughter Mas Arai who is living in New York City and needs his help. Hirahara goes on to detail the book’s characters such as, Mas Arai’s husband, the tall, blond, Lyod, and her sickly child Mari who is “gasa-gasa” meaning never sitting still. She goes on to explain how she tries to weave in non-fiction facts into the storyline of the book so that she can explore Japanese-American history. Later in the interview Hirahara explains the symbolism that a gardenia plays in the book and how she links it to the Los Angeles flower market.
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