How can art, how can prose and poetry originate in spite of the restraints of manipulation, propaganda, and censorship? This study explores such issues by focusing on the cultural trajectory of Japanese American internment, both during and after World War II. Previously unknown documents as well as interviews with friends and family reveal new aspects of John Okadas (19231971) life and writing, providing a comprehensive biographical outline of the author. The book refutes the assumption that Okadas novel No-No Boy was all but shunned when first published in 1957. A close reading as well as a comparative study involving Italo Calvinos (19231985) Six Memos for the Next Millennium (1985) position Okadas only book as world literature.