OLLI celebrates the UC Davis Campus Community Book project topic of “community building” with professor and author Isao Fujimoto. His remarkable book is a powerful tale of character, strength, kindness and capacity for “bouncing back” from adversity. It’s a compelling account of a first-generation Americanborn Japanese—an immigrant family—and the dramatic cultural and political changes in the world from the early 20th century to the present. It’s a story of his early life, years spent in U.S. concentration camps during WW II, notable university scholarship, community advocacy for agricultural workers and marginalized groups, and (with the help of his students) the creation of celebrated features of Davis such as the Farmers Market, the Davis Food Co-op and the Alternative Agriculture Project. UC Davis Dean Helene Dillard described Isao as “one of our campus treasures who has inspired and challenged students and faculty alike for decades.” The class will include discussion of Bouncing Back, facilitated by Dennis Pendleton, and will feature readings of selected excerpts of the book by the author.
Recommended reading: Bouncing Back: Community, Resilience and Curiosity by Isao Fujimoto. Available at The Avid Reader and online booksellers.