In June 1942, seven months after attacking Pearl Harbor, the Japanese
navy invaded Alaska's Aleutian Islands. For nine thousand years the
Aleut people had lived and thrived on these treeless, windswept lands.
Within days of the first attack, the entire native population living
west of Unimak Island was gathered up and evacuated to relocation
centers in the dense forests of Alaska's Southeast.
With resilience, compassion, and humor, the Aleuts responded to the
sorrows of upheaval and dislocation. This is the story of Vera, a young
Aleut caught up in the turmoil of war. It chronicles her struggles to
survive and to keep community and heritage intact despite harsh
conditions in an alien environment.