Tokyo Rose: Zero Hour tells the true story of Iva Toguri, a Japanese-American woman who was visiting her relatives in Tokyo shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor--and became caught up in an unlikely chain of events that made her infamous. She ended up at odds with everyone--her family, her country, Japan, even herself! But was she really guilty?
Trapped in Japan, Iva was refused to renounce her American citizenship. As war raged across the Pacific, she took a job with Radio Tokyo where she was forced to host "Zero Hour," aimed at demoralizing American troops, in the role of Tokyo Rose, "The Siren of the Pacific."
The dramatic events recounted in this story include:
- Iva's arrest after the Japanese surrender, which ultimately led to a determination that her actions were harmless.
- Her emotional return to the United States and the public outcry that led to her re-arrest and prosecution for treason.
- The corrupt actions of prosecutors who coerced witnesses into providing incriminating evidence against Iva.
- The six years she spent in prison, never admitting guilt, and her eventual pardon by President Gerald Ford in 1977.
Written by Andre Frattino and illustrated by Kate Kasenow, Tokyo Rose: Zero Hour has an introduction explaining the "Tokyo Rose" phenomenon and the devastating effects of World War II on Asian-American communities that continue to reverberate. In a world rife with misinformation and racial prejudice, the story of Tokyo Rose has never been more relevant.