{"product_id":"cruising-j-town-japanese-american-car-culture-in-los-angeles-hardcover","title":"Cruising J-Town: Japanese American Car Culture in Los Angeles - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eOliver Wang\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eGeorge Takei\u003c\/b\u003e (Foreword by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA visual history of Japanese American car culture in Los Angeles, from gardeners' trucks and family sedans to hot rods and race cars.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eCruising J-Town: Japanese American Car Culture in Los Angeles\u003c\/i\u003e explores how generations of Japanese Americans in Southern California shaped, and were shaped by, local automobile cultures and industries: from desert lakebeds to concrete speedways, gas stations to design centers, souped-up import tuners to humble gardening trucks. Along the way, cars and trucks became literal and figurative vehicles for Japanese American self-expression, social mobility, community identity, and much more. \u003ci\u003eCruising J-Town\u003c\/i\u003e is driven to explore how these diverse relationships between people and the world of cars have steered the Nikkei community's American stories across the generations.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInterviews and oral histories chronicle the people and stories behind how Japanese Americans have played vital roles in countless car scenes throughout the region. \u003ci\u003eCruising J-Town\u003c\/i\u003e is filled with vintage and contemporary photographs, drawings and ephemera that bring the story to life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOliver Wang\u003c\/b\u003e is a professor of sociology at CSU-Long Beach and the author of \u003ci\u003eLegions of Boom: Filipino American Mobile DJ Crews of the San Francisco Bay Area\u003c\/i\u003e (Duke Univ. Press, 2015). He is the curator for the Japanese American National Museum exhibition, \u003ci\u003eCruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community\u003c\/i\u003e, a summer\/fall 2025 exhibition about Japanese American car culture in Los Angeles. He is author and editor of the exhibition's companion book, to be published by Angel City Press. Oliver is a regular writer on music, arts and culture for outlets including \u003ci\u003eNPR\u003c\/i\u003e's All Things Considered, the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e, and KCET's \u003ci\u003eArtbound\u003c\/i\u003e. He has co-hosted the podcasts \u003ci\u003ePop Rocket\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eHeat Rocks\u003c\/i\u003e and is currently developing a new podcast on the songs of Asian America. He currently lives in the San Gabriel Valley.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 276\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 x 10.3 x 8.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 05, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51978184720685,"sku":"9781626401358","price":44.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/3185\/6429\/files\/H8aQkKA6PO9781626401358.webp?v=1775800896","url":"https:\/\/ishookbooks.com\/products\/cruising-j-town-japanese-american-car-culture-in-los-angeles-hardcover","provider":"iShook Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}