:: DOR :: Posthumous Debut of Criminals Book

:: DOR ::
Posthumous Debut of Criminals Book

By Carla Crujido
NAP Contributor

On a snowy Sunday afternoon in early February, over 60 people crowded into Mam’s Books in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District to celebrate post-humously the release of Ben Masaoka’s debut novel, Criminals. Five writers — Frank Abe (We Hereby Refuse), Lucy Tan (What We were Promised), Carla Crujido (The Strange Beautiful), Bruce Rutledge (Chin Music Press), and Dan DeWeese (Propeller Books) — shared their favorite passages from Criminals with the audience which included Masaoka’s wife and twin daughters.This was followed by a vibrant discussion about the significance of Masaoka’s work in the Asian American literary canon and the internment of Japanese Americans in 1942 during the wake of the U.S. Executive Order 9066.

Panelists from left to right: Carla Crujido, Lucy Tan, Frank Abe, Bruce Rutledge, and Dan DeWeese discussing “Criminals,” Ben Masaoka’s posthumously-published debut novel.

In a pre-publication email exchange with his publisher, Masaoka said, “as No-No Boy did [John Okada’s cult classic book about the post-war years in the Chinatown-International District neighborhood], my novel places the ‘model minority’ into the category of American myths. I see the two books as linked. Well, everyone wants their book to be a cult success, so add my name to the list.”

It was an emotional and heartfelt event where all laughed and many cried. It is safe to say, the late Ben Masaoka is not following in John Okada’s footsteps, but rather walking at his literary side.

The event was partnered with the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle, Washington.