Not Yo' Butterfly - (American Crossroads) by Nobuko Miyamoto

This memoir is a must-read for anyone interested in Asian American history, activism, and identity.

Nobuko Miyamoto's intimate and unflinching life story provides a powerful account of the struggles and triumphs of a Japanese American woman navigating a fearful west coast during World War II, and her experiences as an artist, activist, and mother.

Through her vivid descriptions of early life in the racialized atmosphere of Hollywood musicals and her turn towards activism with the release of A Grain of Sand, Miyamoto foregrounds the struggles of people of color who reclaimed their histories, identities, and power through art and activism.

Her story intersects with influential figures such as Yuri Kochiyama and Grace Lee Boggs, and her experience of motherhood with an Afro-Asian son places her at the nexus of the 1992 Rodney King riots.

Miyamoto has embraced her identity as an Asian American woman to create an antiracist body of work and a blueprint for empathy and praxis through community art.

This memoir is a powerful testament to the resilience and strength of the Asian American community, and a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of race, identity, and social justice in America.