Look to the Mountains is the story of two immigrant families, one Japanese and the other German, and their different experiences during World War II. Mike Iwata immigrated from Japan to the United States early in the 20th Century. Despite intense anti-Asian prejudice he managed to save money, send for a bride and obtain a farm. Gus Gerhardt immigrated from Germany in order to keep his sons from serving in the Kaiser's army. Although he worked hard, his road to a successful farm and a large family was much easier than Mike's. The story is told through the eyes of two children, Mike's daughter, Sumiko, and Gus' granddaughter, Ruthie. The two girls become inseparable friends, but are torn apart by the incarceration of the Japanese during World War II. Shortly after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the US declared war on both Japan and Germany, President Roosevelt signed executive order #****. The original action would have incarcerated Italians and Germans along with the Japanese, The order was amended to exclude the first two, but incarcerate all Japanese-Americans, even those born in the United States. The book covers the immigrant experiences of both men, as well as the wartime trials of both families.
About the Author: Martha Walrath Riley was born in Sacramento, CA. She graduated from high school in Rolla, MO and attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she was a journalism major. She left school to marry a mining engineer and spent much of her married life in mining camps. Riley returned to school as a non-traditional student and received her B.A. from California State University-Sacramento. Following graduation, she worked as an Elections Administrator, holding positions with the California State Legislature, Marin County, CA and Monterey County, CA. She left elections and returned to school again, to earn an MPA from the University of Utah and a Ph.D. in Human Communication from the University of Pittsburgh. She taught Intercultural Communication and other subjects at the University of Pittsburgh, Pacific Lutheran University and the University of Washington-Tacoma. Riley retired from teaching in 1997 to devote her time to writing. In 1999 she formed The SMR Training Group, Inc. a company that provides training materials and seminars for elections. She is the CEO and technical writer. Her hobby is historical research and her novels reflect this interest, as well as knowledge of other cultures. Her credits include articles for several magazines, scholarly articles, newspaper reporting, contributions to a history of California elections and the novel, An Ordinary Man. She currently lives in Nevada and enjoys gardening, camping and cooking.