The Inker’s Shadow

Allen Say continues his memoir after arriving in the United States from Japan at age fifteen. His father places him at a military school, where his experiences include both kindness and frustration. Say eventually leaves, hoping to work and attend college, but must first finish high school. A principal helps him enroll and find work while he lives alone in a hotel room. An art teacher recognizes his ability and helps him take further steps toward becoming an artist; the memoir also includes his first experience of love.