Janis Bridger is an educator and writer from Vancouver. She earned a diploma in professional photography from Langara College and an M.Ed. from the University of Alberta specializing in teacher-librarianship. Bridger’s debut novel, Obaasan’s Boots was co-authored with her cousin Lara Jean Okihiro and inspired by their grandmother’s experience.
Fiction (Juvenile)
Obaasan’s Boots
Co-authored by Lara Jean Okihiro.
Toronto: Second Story Press, 2023.
Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)
Cousins Lou and Charlotte don’t know a lot about their grandmother’s life. When their Obaasan invites them to spend the day in her garden, she also invites them into their family’s secrets. Grandma shares her experience as a Japanese Canadian during WWII, revealing the painful story of Japanese internment. Her family was forced apart. Whole communities were uprooted, moved into camps, their belongings stolen. Lou and Charlotte struggle with the injustice, even as they marvel at their grandmother’s strength. They begin to understand how their identities have been shaped by racism, and that history is not only about the past.
Janis Bridger personal website
Publisher Second Story Press