The Four Immigrants Manga

Anyone interested in manga, Japanese humor, Asian-American history,or immigration should pick up a copy of The Four Immigrants Manga. It's a series of comic strips drawn and written by Henry Kiyama at the turn of the 20th century. Kiyama was a young Japanese man who came to San Francisco with three of his friends in search of work and a better life. What he finds there isn't exactly what he expected.

Kiyama's adventures span from mishaps with his rich white employers to surviving the great earthquake to finding a picture bride. Sure, it's funny. But it's also a great insight into the experience and resilience of Japanese immigrants of that era.

Author and translator Fred Schodt discovered Kiyama's work over half a century after it was written, and got permission from his descendants to publish it in the US. Amazing stuff.