Advanced Praise for Together in Manzanar
From Hey Alma: “You absolutely won't be able to put [Together in Manzanar] down!”
More Advanced Praise for Together in Manzanar, coming July 8, 2025
“Tracy Slater has done her homework and is uniquely positioned to tell the story of Elaine Black Yoneda, an eyewitness to one of the most explosive parts of the wartime Japanese American experience. With dramatic flair, she captures the untold story of a high-profile mixed-race couple inside an American concentration camp at a pivotal moment in history.” — Frank Abe, coeditor of The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration (Penguin Classics)
“As society evolves and new issues and debates come to the forefront, previously neglected but newly relevant lessons and stories continue to be drawn from the exclusion and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Drawing on her own experience, Tracy Slater has found such a story, one that promises to expand our knowledge of the general incarceration and that will have specific relevance for many modern American families. . . . Both fastidiously researched and a page-turner, this book will appeal to both those new to the story and those who know it well.” — Brian Niiya, director of content for Densho and former curator of the Japanese American National Museum
Pre-order online now directly from the publisher, online from IndieBound or Amazon, or at all major bookstores!
Get in touch for updates about the release of Together in Manzanar and other upcoming news!
Latest Podcast/Media Appearances
Praise for The Good Shufu, Tracy’s first book
A Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection
An Amazon Editors' Pick, Best Biographies & Memoirs
One of PopSugar's best books of 2015
"[A] moving cross-cultural memoir"—National Geographic Traveler
"A heartfelt and moving tale, coupling insights into two remarkably different cultures with a love story that, as much as any true love story can, delivers a happy ending." —Kirkus Reviews
“Winning . . . Slater’s retrenchments [are] epic, spanning continents, cultures, and languages...[H]eartbreaking, touching, and revelatory.”—Boston Globe
“With self-deprecating humor and a sharp recognition of the prejudices and stereotypes operating at both ends of the globe, author Tracy Slater quietly breaks down assumptions with a keen sense of humor. . . . The Good Shufu is a literary memoir with enough cross-cultural wisdom to warrant a place on any Japanophile’s bookshelf.”—The Japan Times
“The pleasure of this book is Slater’s ability to wrestle with very real contradictions in her life even as she masterfully unfolds a story of falling in love and finding home in unexpected places.”—BookPage
“Fascinating and often comical . . . You know what they say: Life is full of surprises, the heart wants what it wants, etc., etc. Slater’s touching story proves the adages true while shedding light on what it takes to make a relationship — inter-cultural or otherwise — work.”—Bustle
“Falling in love can be dizzying, dazzling, and disorienting all at once, but Tracy Slater took things one step farther when she fell in love with a Japanese businessman–whose English was on par with her Japanese–and upended her life as an academic in Boston to become a housewife in Osaka, Japan. Our readers are in love with this delightful, deft memoir about new beginnings and making one’s home.” — Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection Committee
“A thoughtful, involving examination of what happens when a thoroughly American woman says “I do” not just to a man, but to a new culture, country, and way of life. Filled with fascinating tidbits about Japan’s quirks and customs, this debut is as informative as it is entertaining.” —Sarah Pekkanen, internationally bestselling author of Catching Air
“From Boston to Osaka, Tracy Slater writes about the intersection of romance and culture shock with great sensitivity. The Good Shufu is a story about how people communicate and love each other in unexpected ways and places, a fish-out-of-water tale that illustrates the ever-expanding definition of family.”—Ann Mah, author of Mastering the Art of French Eating
“Tracy Slater is one of those great women who refused to give up when so many people said she should. (She’s my kind of woman.) Honest, brave, and moving, this is the perfect book for someone who needs to believe big dreams can come true.” —Amy Cohen, New York Times–bestselling author of The Late Bloomer’s Revolution
“Tracy Slater’s charming The Good Shufu reminded me of Eat, Pray, Love — rewritten by Woody Allen! With equal parts humor and heart, Slater narrates her tale of falling in love with a Japanese man and, then, Japan itself. Slater’s real triumph is her ability to probe both inward and outward, to chronicle both the ways in which Japan transformed her—emotionally, politically, even physically—and her evolving take on Japan itself. Brave, unabashed, and also just plain old fun.”—Joanna Rakoff, author of My Salinger Year