Jamie Ford was born on July 9, 1968 in Eureka CA. He is a design artist and the
author of historical fiction. He has written at least three novels.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet was published in 2009. It has been translated
into 35 languages and was on the New York Times best seller list for 130 weeks.
The story is set mainly in Chinatown in Seattle, Washington. It is about Henry Lee,
told in parallel storylines about when he is 12 years old during World War II and then
also about when it is 1986 and he is widowed and has an adult son. The core of the story
reflects on the ramifications of the internment of Japanese Americans to camps during
the war. Although Henry and his family are Chinese, they face many difficulties. The
book was awarded Best Adult Fiction at the 2010 Asian/Pacific American Awards for
Literature. As reported in Wikipedia: "Seattle author Garth Stein commented, 'A tender
and satisfying novel set in a time and a place lost forever, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter
and Sweet gives us a glimpse of the damage that is caused by war - not the sweeping
damage of the battlefield, but the cold, cruel damage to the hearts and humanity
of individual people. Especially relevant in today's world, this is a beautifully
written book that will make you think. And, more importantly, it will make you feel.'"