In The NoCo

Writer Brandon Shimoda’s family was forced from their homes during WWII. His new book examines the lingering impact

By In The NoCo,

Published February 13, 2025 at 5:35 AM MST

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Brandon Shimoda is fourth-generation Japanese American. He is shown wearing black framed glasses and a blue hooded sweater. His new book reflects on the lingering impacts of Japanese American incarceration during World War Two. — "There are many reasons why my family and many, many, many families remain silent about it," says poet and author Brandon Shimoda, whose newest book explores the lingering impact of Japanese American incarceration during World War II. "There was an enormous amount of shame with which the Japanese Americans emerged from the camps and from the war, but also there was a real pressure for the community to assimilate into white culture. And one of the ways that they could do that was by not talking about the violence that had been committed against them."

In February of 1942, not long after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the U.S. military removed thousands of Americans of Japanese descent from their homes. Most of them were full citizens who had been born and raised in the United States.

Families had just a few days to get their affairs in order before reporting to relocation centers, mostly in Western states. Roosevelt’s order affected about 120,000 Japanese Americans, including 17,000 children.

Writer and poet Brandon Shimoda, who is fourth-generation Japanese American, says the impact of incarceration didn’t end with the war.

Shimoda, who lives in Colorado Springs and teaches at Colorado College, is a descendant of several family members who were incarcerated in internment camps. He says his family’s stories helped inspire his newest book, The Afterlife Is Letting Go.

He spoke with Erin O’Toole about the legacy of Japanese American incarceration, and why the impacts still resonate today.

Brandon Shimoda will be part of a discussion on untold histories, this Saturday, Feb. 15 during Fort Collins Book Fest. Find the full lineup of Book Fest authors and events here.

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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