Surviving War, Oceans Apart: Two Teenagers in Poland and Japan Destined for Life Together

This work takes readers to two countries ravaged by World War II, Poland and Japan, recounting the wartime experiences of teenagers Bogdan and Seiko. Bogdan's family abandoned its home in Bydgoszcz, Poland, and fled to Warsaw, where Bogdan fought for the Polish Home Army in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. During this brutal conflict, as Poles tried to oust occupying Germans, Bogdan sustained severe injuries, and after the Germans crushed the Uprising, he endured seven POW camps. On the other side of the globe, in Hokkaido, Japan, Seiko's country went to war against the U.S. With school suspended, Seiko worked in a wartime factory. Terror and turmoil haunted Japanese civilian life; Seiko's older sister died during the war, while her older brother trained as a kamikaze pilot. Despite suffering harsh misfortunes, Bogdan and Seiko resolved to rebound once the war ended. Both immigrated to the U.S. to pursue educational opportunities. In bustling postwar New York City, they met, fell in love, and then started a family. Offering a unique transnational perspective on WWII, Bogdan and Seiko's story is one of hope, symbolizing recovery from war's devastation while reminding readers of how immigrants to America have started new lives and pursued their dreams.