“‘I am a Japanese American girl from Cleveland, Ohio, and an only child. I am so lonely.’  Write that down.”

— My father, Frank S. Ikuta, Brook Park, Ohio, 1968

“NOOOOOOOO!” I silently screamed. “People would find out!” 

Thus began our seven-year war. 

I dedicated much of my childhood to the proposition that if I just worked hard enough at being a “good American,” people would stop noticing my wiry black hair, wide cheekbones, and compact nose bridge. But there was my father, asking my 12-year-old self to document the very truth I so desperately wanted to deny. …

Though it only tells one family’s story of dis- and re-location, Lurching Towards Nirvana is dedicated to everyone who has ever been uprooted or pushed around; to everyone who has ever been treated as “less than” someone else; to everyone who has tried to hide their identity, culture, or language in order to fit in; to everyone who has wittingly or unwittingly participated in their own or another’s oppression; to everyone who has ever succumbed to the culture of competition and divide and conquer; to everyone who has found a measure of healing, grace, resilience, reconciliation, and community; and to everyone who seeks to follow the moral arc of the universe, and and to hasten its bend toward justice.  

This is your invitation to join our family in the journey from my grandmother’s voyage on the SS Mongolia to this strange land where, more than a century later, we are still seen as strangers. It is a journey through earthquake and fire; buried names and stories; sand and scorpions; guards and barbed wire; a diner named “George’s”; peace protests; a cross-country bike trip; federal prisons; camping on a bombing range; getting fired; beating City Hall; eldercare; breast cancer; skydiving; and starting over. It is about doing the best we can with the cards we are dealt, while chasing the elusive dream of a better life for ourselves, and for everyone. 

Those are the opening words to my memoir, Lurching Towards Nirvana. Please reach out if you’re interested in joining the journey from heartache to hope!