In December we welcome Naomi Shibata. Her book, Bend with the Wind tells the story of one family's belief in the American dream. Spanning 100 years of Grace Eto Shibata’s family history, it begins with her parents’ immigration to the California Central Coast in the early twentieth century. The narrative follows a generation of pioneers whose resilience and determination built strong families and strong communities. It recounts how an ethnic community wove its unique pattern into the fabric of American society and was later disenfranchised during World War II. The history shares the values that bound Grace’s tightly knit family and supported her throughout her life, a life shaped by World War II, an arranged marriage, a family business, and motherhood. Bend with the Wind celebrates Grace’s life as a wife, mother, businesswoman, activist, author, and seventy-four-year-old college graduate.

We will also be treated to a few selections of music by Lark, a local Threshold Choir. Their mission is to sing for people facing end of life on Hospice care.