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 & thrived on these treeless, windswept lands. Within days of the first attack, the entire native population living west of Unimak Island was gathered up & evacuated to relocation centers in the dense forests of Alaska's Southeast.
With resilience, compassion, & humor, the Aleuts responded to the sorrows of upheaval & dislocation. This is the story of Vera, a young Aleut caught up in the turmoil of war. It chronicles her struggles to survive & to keep community & heritage intact despite harsh conditions in an alien environment.