This novel began in 1970 when I was an Air Force dependent strolling around the vast green fairways of a golf course at Kadena Air Base, and I wondered, Why, on this tiny island where everyone off base is so cramped together, do we get all this space to play a game? The list of those who helped me find answers to that question is long. First among them is Steve Rabson, professor emeritus of East Asian Studies at Brown University and a gift sent by the kami to help me get it right. His writing about Okinawa and his impeccable translations of the island’s literature and poetry, particularly the short story collection he coedited, Southern Exposure: Modern Japanese Literature from Okinawa, were essential.
Of the hundreds of sources I used, I have to single out several extraordinary first-person narratives: A Princess Lily of the Ryukus by Jo Nobuko Martin and The Girl with the White Flag by Tomiko Higa are deeply moving accounts by native girls who survived the horrors of the Battle of Okinawa. From Okinawa to the Americas by Hana Yamagawa provided a rare glimpse into island life before the war. The work of the legendary Chalmers Johnson, starting with Okinawa: Cold War Island, was of great help to me in appreciating the unique role Okinawa plays in the American empire.
For educating me about contemporary Okinawa, I’d like to thank Tomoe Yokoda and James Matej of the Okinawan Cultural Association of Texas; Christy Nogra, currently stationed at Kadena; and my eleventh-hour hero, Jim Kassebaum, chief marketing officer for Marine Corps Community Services Okinawa, who told me what I needed to know about Kadena Air Base as it is today. Another gift sent by the kami was the performer and scholar Byron Fija, whose dedication to keeping the Okinawan language alive inspires me.
Muchisimas gracias to my talented friend Christy Krames for transforming the geography of my imagination into maps as artful as they are accurate.
I thank my indispensable readers for their insights and expertise: Carol Dawson, who, through all the iterations, kept asking the crucial questions; Mary Edwards Wertsch, friend and author who wrote our people’s handbook, Military Brats; Kathleen Orillion and Carol Flake, always generous, always intuitive; Nancy Mims, who infused the work with an artist’s empathy; Stephen Harrigan and Elizabeth Crook, who never fail to provide wise counsel; and Tiffany Yates-Martin, who continues to be the coolest copy editor. Ever. Special dollops of gratitude go to my sisters and best readers, Martha and Kay Bird, brave and noble brats who, along with brothers John, Tom, and Steve, were the bubble of air that kept me alive through all the moves.
For the fifth time in a row, I am the luckiest author around to have the privilege of working with the paragons of publishing at Alfred A. Knopf: Kim Thornton, Annie Eggers, Christine Gillespie, Gabriele Wilson, Kathleen Fridella, Peggy Samedi, and Maggie Hinders. I am grateful for your talent, taste, enthusiasm, and dedication. I can never truly thank my editor, the magnificent Ann Close, for the imperceptible magic she always works which, somehow, transforms impossible messes into books. The radiant spirit of Nina Bourne hovers around all of you.
For always, from the very beginning, having my back, here’s to you, Kristine Dahl.
And to Gabriel and George. You are my hometown.
For readers interested in learning more about the Land of Constant Courtesy, I recommend starting with Okinawa: The History of an Island People by George Kerr.