Author Masako Kimura Streling will discuss her memoir “I Thought the Sun Was God” at the Japanese American National Museum, 100 N. Central Ave., Little Tokyo, on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 2 p.m.
As children, we know only the world we’re born into. By moving beyond what we’re taught, we can transcend our past and reach our full potential. Streling, a descendant of the Satsuma samurai clan, recounts her spiritual journey in her memoir.
From her childhood in wartime Japan to her journey to America as a war bride, Streling has walked many paths. Growing up in a restrictive, male-focused world, she was unable to reconcile herself to the many roles imposed upon her, and felt in her heart that she was destined to make a difference. Seeking change, she embarked on a lifelong journey of growth and self-discovery that took her across the Pacific Ocean and led her to God.
“Born in a poor fishing village under difficult circumstances, I grew up burdened with many filial responsibilities, in a rigorously class-conscious patriarchal society. By putting my life experience in printed form, I hope, the world might benefit from it,” Streling said.
Streling earned a bachelor’s degree, cum laude, in theology and a master’s in pastoral studies from Loyola University in Chicago. In 1993, she and her husband Carl were commissioned by the Chicago Archdiocese and sent as lay missionaries by the Society of St. Columban to the priestless Kainan Church in the Osaka Archdiocese of Japan. They reside in Oceanside, where they are part of the St. Thomas More Parish.
“I Thought the Sun Was God” is available online at FriesenPress.com/Bookstore, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. For more information, visit www.masakokimurastreling.com.
For more information on the museum, call (213) 625-0414 or visit www.janm.org.