Jim Shimada’s Long Reckoning

American Woman

This flow follows Jenny’s father through wartime incarceration, estrangement, anxious waiting, and a late encounter with his daughter’s history.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Loyalty Oath The Loyalty Oath from "American Woman". The Loyalty Oath A Camp Under Pressure Jim Shimada faces a government loyalty oath amid violence and fear inside Manzanar.

The Loyalty Oath A Camp Under Pressure Jim Shimada faces a government loyalty oath amid violence and fear inside Manzanar. Before he can make a choice, a beating by pro-Japan gang members leads to his transfer to another camp. A Life Redirected The episode begins a long estrangement between Jim and the country that claims to test his loyalty.

The Camp for Incorrigibles The Camp for Incorrigibles from "American Woman". The Camp for Incorrigibles Prison Without Due Process Jim is sent to Camp for Incorrigibles, where disease, violence, and deprivation mark daily life.

The Camp for Incorrigibles from "American Woman". The Camp for Incorrigibles Prison Without Due Process Jim is sent to Camp for Incorrigibles, where disease, violence, and deprivation mark daily life.

The Camp for Incorrigibles Prison Without Due Process Jim is sent to Camp for Incorrigibles, where disease, violence, and deprivation mark daily life. He refuses the draft and is convicted, turning his protest into another period of imprisonment. A Permanent Injury His later suspicion of authority grows from experience rather than abstract politics.

A Daughter Raised Abroad A Daughter Raised Abroad from "American Woman". A Daughter Raised Abroad A Move to Japan Jim takes Jenny to Japan, hoping to escape the exclusions and disappointments he associates with California.

A Daughter Raised Abroad from "American Woman". A Daughter Raised Abroad A Move to Japan Jim takes Jenny to Japan, hoping to escape the exclusions and disappointments he associates with California.

A Daughter Raised Abroad A Move to Japan Jim takes Jenny to Japan, hoping to escape the exclusions and disappointments he associates with California. She adapts to the new country more easily than he does, and the difference deepens their isolation from one another. A Return Without Reconciliation When they return, Jenny’s growing political awareness turns their already fragile relationship into open conflict.

Watching the Road Watching the Road from "American Woman". Watching the Road Old Fears Return Jim sees slow-moving cars near his greenhouse and suspects that surveillance or hostility has returned.

Watching the Road from "American Woman". Watching the Road Old Fears Return Jim sees slow-moving cars near his greenhouse and suspects that surveillance or hostility has returned.

Watching the Road Old Fears Return Jim sees slow-moving cars near his greenhouse and suspects that surveillance or hostility has returned. His fear echoes earlier threats against him after Jenny disappeared, including a racist attack on his greenhouse. A Missed Recognition He runs outside when a car seems to resemble Jenny’s, but cannot confirm that she was inside.

The Reunion at Manzanar The Reunion at Manzanar from "American Woman". The Reunion at Manzanar Returning to the Site Jenny takes Jim to a Manzanar reunion, a place he has resisted discussing for decades.

The Reunion at Manzanar from "American Woman". The Reunion at Manzanar Returning to the Site Jenny takes Jim to a Manzanar reunion, a place he has resisted discussing for decades.

The Reunion at Manzanar Returning to the Site Jenny takes Jim to a Manzanar reunion, a place he has resisted discussing for decades. The trip makes space for memory without demanding that he explain every part of his pain. A Shared Task Jim chooses to help the younger attendees set up, entering the gathering on his own terms.

Spring 1943

After Jim’s transfer from Manzanar

When Jenny is nine

Summer 1975

Several years after Jenny’s release