Naomi Hirahara Explained

Naomi Hirahara
Birth Place:Pasadena, California, U.S.
Occupation:Author, journalist
Alma Mater:Stanford University,
Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies
Genre:Mystery fiction, non-fiction
Subjects:-->
Notablework:-->
Spouses:-->
Partners:-->
Awards:Edgar Award
Years Active:1990s–present

Naomi Hirahara (Japanese: 平原 直美, born 1962) is an American writer and journalist. She edited the largest Japanese-American daily newspaper, Rafu Shimpo for several years. She is currently a writer of both fiction and non-fiction works and the Edgar Award-winning Mas Arai mystery series.

Biography

Naomi Hirahara was born in 1962 in Pasadena, California,[1] to Japanese parents, both of whom were survivors of the Hiroshima bombing. She began writing when she was in elementary school in Altadena, California.[2] She received her bachelor's degree from Stanford University in international relations[3] with a focus on Africa and spent a summer during her studies volunteering with the YWCA in Ghana. After her 1983 graduation, she furthered her education at the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies in Tokyo.

After a brief job as an editorial assistant, Hirahara began working at the Rafu Shimpo newspaper in 1984 as writer about the city of Los Angeles. Three years later, she began working at a boutique public relations firm to allow more time for creative writing and taking classes at the UCLA extension. After three years, she was asked to come back as an editor at the Rafu Shimpo and began writing nonfiction books in the 1990s. In 1996, Hirahara quit her job, took a fellowship for creative writing with the Milton Center at Newman University in Wichita, Kansas[4] and committed to working full-time as a creative writer. In 2001, she published a non-fiction work, Green Makers: Japanese American Gardeners in Southern California and later that year published An American Son: The Story of George Aratani, Founder of Mikasa and Kenwood. In 2002, Distinguished Asian American Business Leaders was released.

She sold her first fiction book, Summer of the Big Bachi in 2003, which received positive reviews in the Chicago Tribune,[5] and later that same year was named by them as one of the "10 best mysteries and thrillers of 2004".[6] It was also selected by Publishers Weekly as a "Best Books of 2004".[7] The book turned out to be the first of a series about an aging Japanese-American gardener, Mas Arai, a survivor of the atomic bomb, but the character was American-born. Though he has a degree, prejudice keeps him from other work, and he becomes a gardener, mirroring Hirahara's father's experience. Mas Arai became the featured character in Gasa Gasa Girl, Snakeskin Shamishen, Blood Hina[8] and Strawberry Yellow.[9] (Strawberry Yellow takes place in Watsonville, Ca and at the Redman Hirahara Farmstead.) In 2007, the third book in her series, Snakeskin Shamishen won the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America.[10] The following year, the series began being released in Japan.

In 2014, Hirahara began a new series, though Mas Arai's story has at least two more chapters. The new series features a young bicycle policewoman, Ellie Rush, who is the central character in Hirahara's seventh novel, Murder on Bamboo Lane. While the Arai series focuses on California centered around the World War II generation, the Rush series is contemporary and expands on Hirahara's desire to speak from a woman's point of view. Her first book in which the main character was a woman was a juvenile fiction work, 1001 Cranes, published in 2008. Her most recent book in the Ellie Rush series, Grave on Grand Avenue (2015) has received positive reviews,[11] and has been featured as a "Best Book" by Publishers Weekly.[12]

Awards and honors

Summer of the Big Bachi was named one of the "10 best mysteries and thrillers of 2004" by the Chicago Tribune, as well as one of the "Best Books of 2004" by Publishers Weekly.

In 2019, CrimeReads included Iced in Paradise in their list of the year's best traditional mystery novels.[13] Two years later, they included Clark and Division on their list of the year's best crime novels.[14] Amazon also included the novel on their list of the year's best Mysteries and Thrillers.[15]

Awards for Hirahara's writing!Year!Title!Award!Result!
2005Summer of the Big Bachi Macavity Award for Best First NovelFinalist[16]
2007Snakeskin ShamisenAnthony Award for Best Paperback OriginalFinalist
Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Paperback OriginalWinner[17]
2014Murder on Bamboo LaneT. Jefferson Parker Mystery AwardFinalist[18]
2019Hiroshima BoyAnthony Award for Best Paperback OriginalFinalist[19] [20]
Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Paperback OriginalFinalist[21]
Macavity Award for Best Mystery NovelFinalist
2022Clark and DivisionAgatha Award for Best Historical NovelFinalist
Anthony Award for Best NovelFinalist[22]
Lefty Award for Best Historical MysteryWinner[23]
Simon & Schuster Mary Higgins Clark AwardWinner[24] [25]
Sue Feder Historical Mystery AwardWinner[26] [27]

Selected works

Mas Arai series

Ellie Rush series

Leilani Santiago series

A Japantown Mystery series

Other fiction

Non-fiction

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Ulin. David L.. Naomi Hirahara on her new mystery series ... and the new L.A.. September 6, 2015. LA Times. April 16, 2014. Los Angeles, California. October 25, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181025202412/http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-naomi-hirahara-new-mystery-series-new-la-20140415-story.html. live.
  2. Web site: Hong. Courtney. Naomi Hirahara: A Japanese American's universal story. Savor Good. September 6, 2015. San Diego, California. August 30, 2014. January 15, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190115193529/https://savorgood.com/2014/08/30/naomi-hirahara/. live.
  3. Web site: Naomi Hirahara. Penguin Books. 6 September 2015. New York, New York. 23 December 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151223110343/http://www.penguin.com/author/naomi-hirahara/54471. live.
  4. Web site: Naomi Hirahara. Gersh Books. 6 September 2015. Los Angeles, California. 6 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150906181103/http://gershbooks.com/authors/naomi-hirahara/. live.
  5. News: Adler. Dick. Mysterious happenings, from Spain to S. Carolina. September 6, 2015. Chicago Tribune. April 18, 2004. Chicago, Illinois. September 6, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150906165739/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-04-18/entertainment/0404180558_1_forgotten-books-julian-carax-shadow. live.
  6. News: Adler . Dick . December 19, 2004 . Despite the season, cops and robbers take no holiday . September 6, 2015 . . Chicago, Illinois . September 6, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150906170625/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-12-19/entertainment/0412180180_1_cowboy-dashee-joe-leaphorn-tony-hillerman/3 . live .
  7. Web site: March 29, 2004 . Summer of the Big Bachi . September 6, 2015 . PW Best Books . . September 6, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150906171408/http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-385-33759-5 . live .
  8. News: Bates. Karen Grigsby. Mas Arai: An Unlikely Hero Solves L.A.'s Mysteries. 6 September 2015. NPR. August 12, 2010. Los Angeles, California. 13 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150913110126/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129134508. live.
  9. News: Asakawa. Gil. Naomi Hirahara, Author of Mas Arai Mystery Novels, Comes to Denver for a Reading. September 6, 2015. Huffington Post. March 19, 2013. Denver, Colorado. March 10, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160310194257/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gil-asakawa/naomi-hirahara-mas-arai_b_2902611.html. live.
  10. News: Roderick. Kevin. Edgar for Naomi Hirahara. September 6, 2015. LA Observed. April 26, 2007. Los Angeles, California. September 19, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150919225701/http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2007/04/edgar_for_naomi_hirahara.php. live.
  11. News: Ellie Rush Returns in 'Grave on Grand Avenue'. The Rafu Shimpo. September 6, 2015. Los Angeles, California. April 3, 2015. August 19, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150819211512/https://www.rafu.com/2015/04/ellie-rush-returns-in-grave-on-grand-avenue/. live.
  12. Web site: Grave on Grand Avenue. PW Best Books. Publishers Weekly. September 6, 2015. September 6, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150906180926/http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-425-26496-6. live.
  13. Web site: 2019-12-19 . The Best Books of 2019: Traditional Mysteries . 2024-05-12 . . en-US . 2023-12-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231209160313/https://crimereads.com/best-books-2019-traditional-mysteries/ . live .
  14. Web site: 2021-12-09 . The Best Crime Novels of 2021 . 2024-05-12 . . en-US . 2023-09-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230921230730/https://crimereads.com/best-crime-novels-2021/ . live .
  15. Web site: 2021-11-16 . Amazon Best Books of 2021 . 2024-05-12 . . en-US . 2024-04-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240426170953/https://locusmag.com/2021/11/amazon-best-books-of-2021/ . live .
  16. Web site: Naomi Hirahara . 2024-05-11 . Stop, You're Killing Me! . 2024-05-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240506002640/https://stopyourekillingme.com/H_Authors/Hirahara_Naomi.html . live .
  17. Web site: 2007-04-30 . Awards: The Edgars; L.A. Times; Yale Drama Series . 2024-05-12 . . 2022-03-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220310022603/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=426 . live .
  18. Web site: 2014-07-17 . Awards: PEN/Ackerley; SCIBA Finalists . 2024-05-12 . . 2023-03-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230330023632/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=2298 . live .
  19. Web site: 2019 Anthony Award Winners . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220731215717/https://www.mysteryscenemag.com/blog-article/6660-2019-anthony-award-winners . 2022-07-31 . 2022-07-31 . Mystery Scene Magazine.
  20. Web site: 2019-11-03 . Announcing the 2019 Anthony Award Winners . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221224010833/https://crimereads.com/announcing-the-2019-anthony-award-winners/ . 2022-12-24 . 2022-07-31 . . en-US.
  21. Web site: 2019-01-22 . Announcing the 2019 Edgar Nominees . 2024-05-12 . . en-US . 2023-05-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230519154310/https://crimereads.com/announcing-the-2019-edgar-nominees/ . live .
  22. Web site: 2022-09-12 . 2022 Anthony Awards Winners . 2024-05-12 . . en-US . 2023-04-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230422190734/https://locusmag.com/2022/09/anthony-awards/ . live .
  23. Web site: Cogdill . Oline H . Compliments to Left Coast Crime . 2023-01-04 . . 2023-01-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230104021740/https://www.mysteryscenemag.com/blog-newsfeed/60-books/7466-compliments-to-left-coast-crime?highlight=WyJsZWZ0IiwiY29hc3QiLCJjcmltZSIsImNyaW1lJ3MiLCJsZWZ0IGNvYXN0IiwibGVmdCBjb2FzdCBjcmltZSIsImNvYXN0IGNyaW1lIl0= . live .
  24. Web site: 2022 Edgar Allan Poe Award Winners . . 2024-05-12 . 2024-05-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240506175516/https://mysterywriters.org/2022-edgar-allan-poe-award-winners-announced/ . live .
  25. Web site: 2022-04-29 . 2022 Edgar Awards Winners . 2022-12-22 . . en-US . 2023-02-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230207123813/https://locusmag.com/2022/04/2022-edgar-awards-winners/ . live .
  26. Web site: 2022-09-10 . 2022 - Macavity Awards . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230102211707/https://nightstandbookreviews.com/2022-macavity-awards/ . 2023-01-02 . 2023-01-02 . Nightstand Book Reviews . en-US.
  27. Web site: September 2022 . Macavity Awards . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230102211704/https://lincolnlibraries.org/bookguide/award-winners/macavity-awards/ . 2023-01-02 . 2023-01-02 . Lincoln City Libraries.
  28. Web site: Book Marks reviews of Iced in Paradise: A Leilani Santiago Hawai'i Mystery by Naomi Hirahara . 2024-05-12 . . en-US . 2023-03-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230329040102/https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/iced-in-paradise-a-leilani-santiago-hawaii-mystery/ . live .
  29. Web site: Book Marks reviews of Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara . 2024-05-12 . . en-US . 2023-02-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230202220200/https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/clark-and-division/ . live .
  30. News: Powers . John . August 15, 2023 . This 'Evergreen' LA noir novel imagines the post-WWII reality of Japanese Americans . September 20, 2023 . . September 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230922132853/https://www.npr.org/2023/08/15/1193869572/evergreen-naomi-hirahara-la-noir-japanese-american . live .
  31. Web site: Book Marks reviews of Evergreen by Naomi Hirahara . 2024-05-12 . . en-US . 2023-12-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231215205448/https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/evergreen/ . live .
  32. Book: South Central noir . 2022 . Gary Phillips . 978-1-63614-054-4 . Brooklyn, New York . 1313905518.
  33. Web site: Woods . Paula . 2022-09-07 . How the authors of 'South Central Noir' captured South L.A. and created a genre . 2022-09-21 . Los Angeles Times . en-US . 2022-09-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220921065332/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2022-09-07/meet-the-authors-of-south-central-noir . live .
  34. Book: Hirahara, Naomi . We are here : 30 inspiring Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have shaped the United States . Illi Ferandez . 2022 . 978-0-7624-7965-8 . 1st . Philadelphia . 1284917938.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Naomi Hirahara".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.