David Mura

MINNEAPOLIS — Coffee House Press has just released “Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire,” the debut novel by author David Mura.

The protagonist is Ben Ohara, a struggling historian and the sole surviving member of his family.

Ben’s younger brother, a troubled and brilliant astrophysicist, has mysteriously vanished in the Mojave Desert. Ben’s father, one of the “No-No Boys” who refused to sign a government loyalty oath during the World War II internment of Japanese Americans, committed suicide when Ben was young. And his mother, who steadfastly refused to revisit the past, has died with her secrets.

As Ben retraces his steps through a childhood colored by tough Chicago streets, horror movie monsters, sci-fi villains, Japanese folk tales, TV war heroes, and family tragedy, he comes to understand the profound personal reach of history.

On his journey to reconcile the past — leading ever closer to his brother’s last days and the site of his father’s internment — he will forge a path toward redemption, mapping the byways we all travel on the road toward forgiveness.

“Charged and probing, ‘Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire’ heals and surprises — a moving act of reclamation,” said Gish Jen, author of “Mona in the Promised Land.”

An acclaimed memoirist, poet, playwright, and performance artist, Mura is the author of the memoirs “Turning Japanese” and “Where the Body Meets Memory,” along with three collections of poetry and the critical essays “Song for Uncle Tom, Tonto & Mr. Moto: Poetry & Identity.”

Together with African American writer Alexs Pate, Mura created the performance piece “Secret Colors,” an exploration of the relationships between men of color, which was made into a film, “Slowly This,” and broadcast on PBS. Mura has also been featured on the Bill Moyers PBS series “The Language of Life.”

Mura has a BA from Grinnell College and an MFA in creative writing from Vermont College. He has taught at the University of Minnesota, St. Olaf College, the Loft, Hamline University, University of Oregon and the Voices of the Nation Association (VONA) writers’ conference.

He co-founded the Asian American Renaissance, an arts organization, and served as its artistic director.

Mura lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Dr. Susan Sencer, and children, Samantha (15), Nikko (11) and Tomo (9).

His website is at www.davidmura.com and his performances can be viewed on YouTube at www.youtube.com/davidmura.

Berkeley Reading

Mura will appear on Monday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley. Info: (510) 849-2087 or www.moesbooks.com.