About Camp Nine
• Hardcover: 151 pages
• Publisher: University of Arkansas Press (October 10, 2011)
The time of fear and prejudice following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the Arkansas Delta are the setting for Camp Nine. The novel’s narrator, Chess Morton, lives with her widowed mother in Rook, a town too tiny to have a bank, a library, a restaurant, or even a church. Chess’s days are quiet and secluded until the appearance of a concentration camp built to imprison thousands of Japanese Americans forced by military exclusion order to leave their homes on the West Coast.
Chess’s life becomes intertwined with those of two young internees, Henry and David Matsui, and that of an American soldier mysteriously connected to her mother’s past. As Chess watches the struggles and triumphs of these strangers and sees her mother seek justice for these people who came briefly and involuntarily to call the Arkansas Delta their home, she discovers surprising and disturbing truths about her family’s painful past.
About Vivienne Schiffer
Vivienne Schiffer is a novelist and screenwriter who grew up in Desha County, Arkansas, and has practiced law in Houston for many years.
Vivienne’s Tour Stops
Monday, October 31st: Broken Teepee
Wednesday, November 2nd: Literature and a Lens
Thursday, November 3rd: Wordsmithonia
Friday, November 4th: Melody & Words
Monday, November 7th: Booksie’s Blog
Tuesday, November 8th: Lit and Life
Wednesday, November 9th: Write Meg
Thursday, November 10th: Juggling Life
Friday, November 11th: Picky Girl
Monday, November 14th: BookNAround
Tuesday, November 15th: Savvy Verse and Wit
Thursday, November 17th: A Bookish Affair
Friday, November 18th: For the love of books
Friday, November 18th: Savvy Verse and Wit – author guest post
Tuesday, November 22nd: Buried in Print
Friday, November 25th: The Lost Entwife
Monday, November 28th: Books Like Breathing
Thursday, December 1st: The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader
Wednesday, December 7th: Diary of an Eccentric
Jan Morrill says
My mother was an internee. I am grateful that books such as Camp Nine are being published to help us remember that era in our history. Best of luck to Ms. Schiffer and Camp Nine.
Mary Lindsey says
I was lucky enough to read an early version of Lie’s book and it is fabulous!
Vivienne Schiffer says
Jan, thank you so much for your support. The stories of the internees were what inspired Camp Nine – their stories are so amazing! Vivienne
Vivienne Schiffer says
Mary Lindsey is amazing – as a person and as an author! I love you Mary! Vivienne Schiffer