The Second Generation Problem: Some Suggestions Toward Its Solution

New York City: Japanese Students' Christian Association in North America, 1926. Very good.. 39pp. Original blue printed wrappers, stapled. Minor wear and fading to edges. A scarce pamphlet issued by the Japanese Students' Christian Association in North America (JSCA, a branch of the YMCA), and written by Roy Hidemichi Akagi, intended as the first in a series of publications on Japanese-American issues in the mid-1920s. The author was a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, a scholar and historian, and served as the General Secretary of the JSCA. The present pamphlet originated in discussions among JSCA members on the Pacific Coast regarding the titular issue, the "Second Generation Problem," specifically centered on the inability of primarily English-speaking Nisei to connect with other Americans or with their Japanese-speaking parents and older relatives. Akagi's suggestions concentrate on efforts to promote Nisei civic culture, education, and connection with Issei and other Americans. OCLC locates about a dozen copies in American institutions. (Inventory #: 5304)