Sandra Vea, the author of Masao: A Nisei Soldier’s Secret and Heroic Role in World War II, is holding book signing events in May and June. The first book signing will be held at the University Book Store in Seattle (4326 University Ave NE, Seattle) on Saturday, May 13, at 3:00 p.m.
The book is a historical biography about Masao Abe, who was trained by the Military Intelligence Service to be an interpreter/interrogator during World War II and was deployed to the South Pacific as a M.I.S. soldier. Nearly 6,000 Nisei soldiers graduated from this highly secretive training and only a handful of Nisei M.I.S. soldiers fought on the front lines in the South Pacific where they fought against Japanese soldiers. Abe earned a Purple Heart and three Bronze Stars for his involvement in combat battles in the South Pacific.
Vea is a Seattle native with an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and post graduate degrees from Western Washington and Seattle University. She is currently a public educator. Sandra’s motivation for writing the book was to honor the Nisei soldiers who served in the Pacific with little recognition and to all Nisei’s who faced adversity to prove their loyalty to this country. As Sandra wrote in her book, “This is the importance of history – to learn from our shortsightedness, to grow as a people, and to become stronger by listening to those who have gained wisdom through endurance.”
The second book signing event will be held at the Kunokuniya Bookstore (525 S. Weller St, Seattle) on Saturday, May 20, at 2:00 p.m. The third one will be held at the King County Administration Building (500 4th Ave, Seattle) on May 30, at noon, while the fourth one will be held at the Third Place Books at Seward Park (5041 Wilson Ave S. Seattle) on June 24, at 7:30 p.m.
