Home

What is "One Book, One Campus?"

About Snow Falling on Cedars

Historical Background

David Guterson, A Brief Biography

Schedule of Events

Finding a Copy of
Snow Falling on Cedars

Bibliography

Our Thanks

Schedule of Events

Discussion Groups
Now that you've read Snow Falling on Cedars, here are opportunities to get together with community members, UMF students, faculty, and staff for stimulating conversation about the novel and refreshments!  All of the discussion groups are free of charge and open to the public.

(These discussion groups have been developed, and will be conducted, by UMF students in EDU 363.  The PRISM Committee would like to thank them and Marie Shields!)

Where Have All the Heroes Gone?  A Look at Ishmael Chambers
Conducted by Shannon Davis and Ruth Thombs
Wed., March 27 at 10:30AM in the Latte Landing

Sex and Violence in Snow Falling on Cedars:  Is the Novel Appropriate for High School Students?
Conducted by Patrick Connolly
Thurs., March 28 at Noon in CR 123 - Student Center   

Power Struggles
Conducted by Dan Miller and Richard Bean
Mon., April 1 at 6:00PM in North Dining Hall - C

 The Feminist Lens:  Revealing Mrs. Heine and Hatsue
Conducted by Michelle Griffin
Tues., April 2 at 7:00PM in CR 123 - Student Center   

What Kind of Guy is Ishmael?
Conducted by Dave Boardman
Wed., April 3 at Noon in the Mabel Hastie Lounge - Ricker

Love and Loss Among the Cedars
Conducted by Matt Finch and Bryan Head
Wed., April 3 at 7:00PM in CR 123 - Student Center   

 

"Executive Order 9066:  The Internment of 110,000 Japanese Americans"
Date:  March 11 to March 29
Place:  Browsing Room, Mantor Library
This event is free of charge and open to the public.

A moving and powerful display of black and white photographs documenting the Japanese American internment experience from the book Executive Order 9066:  The Internment of 110,000 Japanese Americans by Maisie and Richard Conrat. 

 

"One Book, One Campus" Trivia Contest
Date:  March 18 to March 29
This event is free of charge and open to the public.

On Monday, March 18, pick up a "One Book, One Campus" trivia contest entry form at the Mantor Library or print it out online.  The trivia contest will consist of 10 questions relating to "Snow Falling on Cedars" and Japanese-American internment.  Completed entries need to be returned to the Mantor Library by Friday, March 29, 2002 at noon.  Entries with all 10 questions answered correctly will be entered into a drawing for prizes.

 

"Snow Falling on Cedars," the film adaptation of the novel
Date:  Monday, March 18
Place:  C131, Roberts Learning Center
Time:  7:00PM
This event is free of charge and open to the public.

Several years after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a small town becomes racially divided when a young Japanese man is accused of murdering his Caucasian friend. Based upon the bestselling novel by David Guterson, this is a story that thoughtfully examines social schisms, with subplots dealing with justice, public opinion, social taboos, and the legacy of history.

Starring: Ethan Hawke, James Cromwell, Sam Shepard, Max von Sydow, Youki Kudoh, and Rick Yune

Director: Scott Hicks

 

 

Tetsuo and May Takayanagi
Date:  Tuesday, March 19
Place:  Thomas Auditorium
Time:  7:00PM
This event is free of charge and open to the public.

Tetsuo and May Takayanagi were in their late teens/early 20s living on the West coast when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941.  When thousands of American citizens of Japanese ancestry were evacuated from several West coast states to internment camps, Tetsuo,  May, and their families were relocated to a camp in Utah.  They will speak about the racist atmosphere toward Japanese Americans that existed before the war, their internment experiences, and their lives after the war to the present day.

 

"Children of the Camps"
Date:  Thursday, March 21
Place:  C131, Roberts Learning Center
Time:  6:30PM
This event is free of charge and open to the public.

More than 120,000 Japanese Americans were interned behind barbed wire during
World War II ... over half were children.

The "Children of the Camps" documentary captures the experiences of six Americans of Japanese ancestry who were confined as innocent children to internment camps by the U.S. government during World War II. The film vividly portrays their personal journey to heal the deep wounds they suffered from this experience.

For more information, visit the "Children of the Camps" Web site.

 

"Manzanar" a ballad by Tom Russell sung by Ruth Hill
Date:  Friday, March 22
Place:  Nordica Auditorium, Merrill Hall
Time:  7:00PM
This event is free of charge and open to the public.

Ms. Hill's performance is part of the 15th Annual Nordica Celebration of the Arts.  The piece she will be performing, entitled "Manzanar," tells of the fate of Japanese Americans who lived in the United States during World War II.

 

"Trying Hard in Trying Times: Japanese American College Students during WWII"
Frank Roberts, Director of the Mantor Library
Date: Monday, March 25
Place: Thomas Auditorium
Time: 3:00PM
This event is free of charge and open to the public.

During the Second World War, while Executive Order 9066 forced the internment of Japanese Americans into concentration camps around the country, nearly 5,500 Japanese American students went to college.  This presentation is part of a research project for Mr. Roberts' doctoral program, and will include information from a variety of sources, including a personal interview, describing the experiences these students had at various colleges and universities.

"What It Meant to Be Japanese American During and After World War II"
Dr. Allison Hepler, Assistant Professor of History
Dr. Stephen Levine, Assistant Professor of History
Date:  Wednesday, March 27
Place:  C131, Roberts Learning Center
Time:  4:00PM
This event is free of charge and open to the public.

Dr. Hepler and Dr. Levine will provide an overview of Japanese American internment during World War II, including actions taken by the U.S. government, community responses, dissent, and relocation.  They will also discuss the reparation movement since the end of World War II.

 

Copyright © 2002  University of Maine at Farmington
Mantor Library -- 116 South Street Farmington, Maine, 04938
Phone: (207) 778-7210   FAX: (207) 778-7223   TDD: (207) 778-7000
E-mail contact: web-mantor@umf.maine edu

Last updated 01/11/2007