A Different Mirror: Author’s Note: Epistemology and Epiphany Summary & Analysis

A Different Mirror reflects the reality of Takaki’s own life. He was born in Hawaii in 1939; his father was a Japanese immigrant and his mother was a Japanese American who had been born in the US. His neighbors came from a variety of countries, and they spoke pidgin English together. The students at his school were not expected to attend college, and most of his family members received little education. However, they managed to withdraw Takaki from public education and send him to a private school. A passionate surfer, he wanted to surf professionally, but in his senior year one of his teachers—who was the only Japanese American he knew with a PhD—inspired him to apply to the College of Wooster, in Ohio.

At college, Takaki experienced a “culture shock,” and found that those around him did not believe that he was American. He met his future wife, Carol Rankin, in his sophomore year. She was white, and her parents despised the idea of her marrying a Japanese man. However, after the birth of Carol and Takaki’s first child, Carol’s parents’ hostility turned into love. After completing his PhD, Takaki gained a job teaching black history at UCLA in 1967. Many of the young black students in his class were confused by the fact that he wasn’t black.

Despite enormous success early in his career, Takaki was denied tenure. However, a silver lining came when he took a position in the brand new Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Takaki came to have a definitive role in the newly formed field of Ethnic Studies. Meanwhile, Takaki’s family has expanded to include people of Jewish and Mexican heritage. He concludes the book by arguing that one must understand the past to create positive change for the future.