Everything She Touched: The Life of Ruth Asawa

by Marilyn Chase

Everything She Touched recounts the incredible life of the American sculptor Ruth Asawa.

This is the story of a woman who wielded imagination and hope in the face of intolerance and who transformed everything she touched into art. In this compelling biography, author Marilyn Chase brings Asawa's story to vivid life. She draws on Asawa's extensive archives and weaves together many voices—family, friends, teachers, and critics—to offer a complex and fascinating portrait of the artist.

Born in California in 1926, Ruth Asawa grew from a farmer's daughter to a celebrated sculptor. She survived adolescence in the World War II Japanese-American internment camps and attended the groundbreaking art school at Black Mountain College. Asawa then went on to develop her signature hanging-wire sculptures, create iconic urban installations, revolutionize arts education in her adopted hometown of San Francisco, fight through lupus, and defy convention to nurture a multiracial family.

• A richly visual volume with over 60 reproductions of Asawa's art and archival photos of her life (including portraits shot by her friend, the celebrated photographer Imogen Cunningham)
• Documents Asawa's transformative touch—most notably by turning the barbed wire of prison camps into wire sculptures of astonishing power and delicacy
• Author Marilyn Chase mined Asawa's letters, diaries, sketches, and photos and conducted interviews with those who knew her to tell this inspiring story.

Ruth Asawa forged an unconventional path in everything she did—whether raising a multiracial family of six children, founding a high school dedicated to the arts, or pursuing her own practice independent of the New York art market.

Her beloved fountains are now San Francisco icons, and her signature hanging-wire sculptures grace the MoMA, de Young, Getty, Whitney, and many more museums and galleries across America.

• Ruth Asawa's remarkable life story offers inspiration to artists, art lovers, feminists, mothers, teachers, Asian Americans, history buffs, and anyone who loves a good underdog story.
• A perfect gift for those interested in Asian American culture and history
• Great for those who enjoyed Ninth Street Women: Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler: Five Painters and the Movement That Changed Modern Art by Mary Gabriel, Ruth Asawa: Life's Work by Tamara Schenkenberg, and Notes and Methods by Hilma af Klint

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Biography, History, Japan, Biography Memoir, Book Club

224 pages, Hardcover

Published April 7, 2020

About the author

I'm an author, journalist and teacher at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. I love telling stories never told before!
(Author photo by Laura Duldner.)

Reviews

[Alwynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm one of the many who find aspects of Ruth Asawa's art hypnotic particularly her now-iconic, wire sculptures. Pieces that are fascinating for their contradictions: the harshness of the material versus the impression of ethereality; the solidity of form versus the intricate interactions with light that transforms them into shadow theatre. Marilyn Chase's comprehensive, but uneven, exploration of Asawa's life and work takes as its starting point Asawa's incarceration along with her mother and siblings in one of the many "concentration camps" set up for Japanese Americans during WW2. An act that tore them away from the small Californian farm that had been their home for years - Asawa's father was imprisoned separately accused of being an enemy agent. For Asawa this was to be both a traumatic and formative experience. Chase then outlines Asawa's gradually evolving career. After receiving permission to leave the camp, Asawa trained as a teacher only to be told her Japanese heritage made her unemployable in American schools. She eventually made her way to art school, enrolling at the famous Black Mountain College a place of refuge and radical creative opportunities – an integrated educational space in the then-segregated American South.

At Black Mountain Asawa encountered, and was strongly influenced by, Josef and Anni Albers previously key figures in Germany's Bauhaus movement. They were later forced to flee the emerging Nazi regime. Asawa arrived at Black Mountain during its most fertile phase, training alongside dancer Merce Cunningham and painters like Robert Rauschenberg. Asawa's own evolving sculptural work combined aspects of the weaving pioneered by Anni Albers with folk art encountered in Mexico, gradually acquiring its own unique flavour. Not long after finishing college Asawa married fellow student, budding architect Robert Lanier - although their marriage faced considerable obstacles because of discriminatory laws, and accompanying social/cultural taboos, surrounding interracial marriage in America. The couple settled in San Francisco where they started a family, eventually ending up with six children. Typically, Asawa was largely responsible for the children’s care but managed to practice as an artist even so, she went on to produce paintings, drawings and later public art alongside the more famous sculpture. Although, as Chase, points out, the reception of Asawa’s work was impacted by debates around art versus craft and by her position as a West Coast artist - at a time when the New York scene dominated.

The early sections of Chase’s biography have a slightly novelistic feel, readable but heavy-handed, I found Chase’s treatment of issues around race and prejudice particularly lacking in subtlety. The later sections sometimes lapse into a dense recitation of facts. Chase highlights Asawa’s growing bond with modernist photographer Imogen Cunningham, a collaboration which resulted in a series of striking images of Asawa – many reproduced here. Then she shifts into an overview of Asawa’s contribution to art education and commitment to making art accessible; through to her commissioned, controversial fountain designs; and moving commemorations of Japanese American culture and the experiences of Japanese Americans during WW2. Projects that were only cut short by Asawa’s ill-health in later life. A picture emerges of a tireless, extraordinarily-dedicated woman, committed to her creative vision, her family and her many made/found communities. But it’s often a surprisingly blurry image, Asawa as an individual remains elusive here. There are some admirably-detailed representations of Asawa’s process, as well as comparisons between her work and that of contemporaries like Louise Bourgeois. But these comparisons are fleeting and basic, making me long for a more sustained discussion of Asawa’s broader cultural context and an assessment of how her artwork interconnected with the wider artworld - trends, movements, fellow artists. But as an introduction to Asawa I thought this was fairly worthwhile, lucid, well-researched and lavishly illustrated.

Thanks to Edelweiss and publisher Chronicle Books for an ARC

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of this book were very enjoyable. Hearing about Ruth's childhood was fascinating and inspiring. Working on the farm, going to school and Japanese school filled every second of the day. Ruth commented how school was so easy compared with farm work it seemed like playtime. Ruth's parents worked ridiculously hard and left Ruth with a hard working ethic that made her not want to waste a second of her life.

Although the start was enjoyable, and I loved hearing about Ruth and Albert's babies, I didn't feel I got to know Ruth much. I wanted to read more about her work and what inspired her but there was little detail about this. There were nowhere near enough photos and too much of the book, especially the second half, focused on ill health.

I always find it sad reading about someones life over a couple of days and seeing their life from babyhood to old age and illness flash before my eyes.

I find Ruth's work really inspiring, she is one my favourite artists. There is a handful of photos of her sculptures in here, sadly there is only one image of a painting of hers, I was hoping to see more. As the title suggests, this is more about her life than her art but as her art was a huge part of her life I was hoping for a little more.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew nothing about Ruth Asawa or her artwork when I requested this book. It looked interesting and I decided to give it a try.

I am now madly in love with the person Ruth was and will be trying to view everything of her's that I can now. I won't be able to afford any of it, but looking is free, thank goodness!

I think what I love most about her is that she was not just dedicated to her art, she was full of love for all those around her, not just her family, which was six children strong, two of whom were adopted. More evidence of her and her husband's boundless love. Her love for art and children led her to be a HUGE proponent of art in school and put her money and hard work where her mouth was. She literally founded a school of the arts in California, which they named after her in her honor. She has made artwork for all to see and share in as well, fighting for art to be in the civic sphere as well as in the educational one.

Rather than just gushing over Ruth, I will instead just tell you to get this book to learn more about her.

Funny/sad story, while FaceTiming with family, cuz can't visit anyone cuz pandemics suck, I hadn't yet finished the book, but I was going on and on about how awesome Ruth was and everything she did and everything she experienced (Japanese internment camps during WWII, so sad and a huge blight on America), they asked how old she was. The book either wasn't overly clear in the section I was reading or I just missed it, but I admitted I didn't know, so Wiki'd her. And just about cried.

SPOILER WARNING, don't Wiki her if you want NO spoilers.

Yes, this is a story where the MC dies at the end. I was heartbroken. I hadn't gotten to that part yet. Though her end was SOOOOO POETIC and FIT her so PERFECTLY. Depending on how one looks at it, it's either circle of life, or a tad on the morbid side. I go for the touching, circle of life interpretation.

Anywho, this book took FIVE years to research and write and it SHOWS. The personality of Ruth Asawa was front and center, the depth of information in this blew me away. And, to show how the art community is a tight-knit one, her mentor Josef Albers was mentioned with his artwork in the most recent book on art that I had read. It took me longer than I would have liked to make the connection between the man and the painting in the book I just read, but I DID eventually figure it out. I need to be more open to connections like that in what I read!

So, long story short. Should you read this book? I say yes. It is about a fascinating, wonderful person who probably lived a life that most of us can't even begin to imagine. Just learning about what she, and others, went through is important. But then to see how she lived her life with love and generosity instead of bitterness and hate is nothing short of inspiring. She never forgot what happened, but she didn't let it define who she was and how she was going to act.

5, Ruth Asawa is amazing and I wish I had had the opportunity to know her, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for a copy of the eARC to read and review.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great on two levels: the subject, Ruth Asawa, is an inspiring artist, and the book is carefully researched and beautifully written. I knew nothing about Asawa prior to reading the book, but her life story was incredibly compelling. The details of her family's experience in the Japanese-American internment camps were breathtaking. I was previously aware of the internment camps, but the book gave me a personal glimpse into the emotional, physical, mental toll of that exprience on one family. The resiliency and grace of Asawa's family shines through the conditions they (and thousands of other citizens) were made to endure. I was pleased to learn that reparations were paid to some of these citizens, along with a note sent from President George H.W. Bush. On a personal note, I was very interested to read this story of Asawa's inter-racial marriage, begun decades ago when such things were not as widely accepted as now.

I'm very curious about how people become artists and how they make a living that way. I learned from Asawa that it is not a career to make one wealthy, but rather a lifelong engagement with your community. I also saw how she combined her lives as artist, mother, wife, and community organizer/activist. No small feat, and it is helpful for others to see the path that has been blazed by women such as Asawa.

On top of all this is the art itself! The photographs in the book were amazing, as was the variety of art Asawa produced. This was a touching, beautiful book and I'm grateful for the chance to know this artist and her contributions to her local and world community.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

i LOVE ruth asawa’s art and the ethereality of her wire sculptures and her ability to turn ordinary materials into extraordinary pieces. i am endlessly inspired by her work and this book only furthered my admiration for her resilience, her humility, her genius, and her lifelong commitment to arts education and community. i loved learning more about how she integrated her work and life and the way her husband albert supported her throughout her career. her experience of internment during wwii was also one of the first personal accounts i have read, and reading about how she processed her own trauma through the making of a memorial was powerful.

living in the bay area added another layer to reading this—the way she loved SF and its artist community, the way she championed public school arts education, and the way she advocated tirelessly for access to the arts even during her battle with lupus. i cannot recommend this enough OR her sf moma retrospective!!!!!

[Carol Bakker · Rating 4 out of 5]

As of 7.12.21, I had never heard of Ruth Asawa. When Rachel, one of my favorite nonagenarians, called to talk all things books, she recommended this biography of a San Francisco artist. I'm SO glad she did.

This is the story of a young Japanese American farm girl who awoke before dawn to work for hours before going to school. Of a family swept into interment camps behind barbed wire during the second world war. Of a soul so taken with art that she crafted beauty from cast-off materials.

Themes that captured me: frugality, humility, interracial marriage, tending to six children while making sculptures, gardening, art in education, generosity, and hard work.

I love connections, finding familiar characters where you least expect: Ruth was a former student and lifelong friend of Buckminster Fuller, the inventor of the geodesic dome. Also, after a diagnosis of lupus, Ruth reveled in Flannery O'Connor's letters describing her experience with it in The Habit of Being.

The book bogged down a little in details of her battles with school boards and county commissioners.

Two lovely extracts from love letters between Ruth Asawa and Albert Lanier:

Ruth to Albert:: I cannot love without work and I cannot stand ugliness, and laziness is one of the lowest forms of ugliness to me, but I'm afraid I would love you even if you were lazy, I now love you so blindly...

Albert to Ruth: Ruth, love me as you are tender to plants, as you love coils of beautiful wire, as you love loneliness--knowing that time will wear rough edges smooth--that distance is surmountable--that wire is stronger than stone--that God is good and God is love.

[Knobby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a digital advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review

Ruth Asawa was such a fascinating person. I feel foolish for not knowing about this artist until reading this book; I was drawn to the book cover (which shows Ruth herself with one of her wire sculpture pieces overlaid on top of her image). A Japanese-American Nisei (second-generation American) interned during WWII, who went on to study art at Black Mountain College amid other creators like Rauschenberg, married a white man when anti-miscegenation laws were still prevalent, and continued to make a name for herself on both U.S. coasts while raising six children, and basically is the reason there's a performing arts school in San Francisco today, Ruth Asawa was a powerhouse.

As a Japanese-American artist, I found Asawa to be a compelling and interesting person, and totally someone to look up to. Loved the large images of Asawa's art and smaller behind-the-scenes photos of her creating them. I wished there had been more photos of her house, which, from the glimpses we see in the few snapshots shared, seemed like such an interesting building, what with the life masks of friends' faces cast and hung on the walls, and the intricately carved door.

I'd recommend this book to people who are interested in smart, motivated women artists and also those who are curious about the history of Japanese-Americans during WWII and the history of San Francisco as an artist's colony. Asawa's first-person accounts of her own personal history intertwine deeply within both.

[quinnster · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing woman Ruth Asawa was. I loved every minute reading about her joy & accomplishments. I also loved that she had a sister named Lois as my Bachan, Ruth also had an older sister named Lois!

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

VERY well written story about a very underrated sculptor. Most books about art and artists are written by academics and art historians, who cannot write to save their lives and are thus virtually unreadable. I thought the author did a great job in her storytelling to keep story engaging delightful to read from start to finish. I love all the historical background during WW2 for Japanese in the internment camps, it almost adds more flavor to the inspiration of the artist. There are photographs that accompanies the writing that also made the book overall very appealing.

Ruth Asawa deserved a remarkable biography - what an extraordinary life, what an extraordinary person, both gifted and humble, representing the essence of asian artist of today.

[Maureen Ellsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Amazing Woman you never heard of....this biography will restore your faith in humanity. As soon as travel is safe, an Asawa San Francisco treasure hunt will be scheduled.

[Kerry Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always loved Asawa's sculptures. The repetitive quality and the sensual shapes make the pieces each to fall in love with. However, I never knew her story. She grew up on a farm in the California Central Valley. During the war, she was interned in Arkansas. During internment, she left for a teacher's college in Wisconsin. There she learned about the famous Black Mountain College in North Carolina and moved there from Wisconsin. From there she meets her husband Albert Lanier and they move to San Francisco where they live the rest of their lives. As she establishes herself in the New York art scene, she gives it up and focuses her attention on public art and art education in public schools. It's a fascinating life that includes the injustices of internment, rubbing elbows with the heart of mid-century American modernism at Black Mountain, civic engagement, battles with local government over arts education along with the perils of interracial marriage in the second half the 20th century, a staggering motherhood to 6 children, late life illness. Asawa needs to be more famous than she is and this is a great book to learn about her life.

Marilyn's a friend mom and I'm so excited to know a writer who publishes books! Her last book was about the bubonic plague in San Francisco. What I love is that in both of these books, she writes about the unwritten Asian American history in San Francisco. Her last book just talks about Chinatown because that's where it happened. She doesn't ignore it like other writers might. She writes about it with the importance and depth that the story deserves. Here too, one of the most important of Asian American artists who has been ignored by the establishment, is given the biography that she deserves. In this book, Marilyn doesn't skimp on the section on internment which I think America in general ignores and many historians ignores, thus in general no one knows anything about. This was a great read. I learned a lot. You should read it too.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruth Asawa is an incredible artist through and through and an amazing, selfless human being as well. As many have said about her, everything about her life was art. That said, my review is about the book, not Asawa and her art (that would be 10000 stars!) The author's tone is often very odd and old fashioned. I was actually shocked this book was written only a couple of years ago and its author is not an elderly man. For example, early on when commenting about a photo of Ruth, her husband and their two children, the author remarks "Albert looks like a proud father and Ruth has a shiny bob haircut." Throughout, there are similar phrases needlessly commenting on her appearance. She also editorializes that Ruth was "tan and trim" after the summer and so caught Albert's eye. Yeah, no. It was far more than her outer looks (as Albert and other classmates attest) that attracted him to her. Why comment on what Ruth is wearing in comparison to the socialites of California? She's an artist, why would she wear a "trim suit?" I think the author does a huge disservice to Asawa and her efforts in both life and art by regularly interspersing editorial commentary on her hair ("what used to be a glossy black bob is now silvery fringe") and body ("her small figure was now fuller due to steroids".)

[Gooshe · Rating 3 out of 5]

شاید اگر آن روز زمستانی در سال چهل‌ودو میلادی خانواده «اساوا» در کالیفرنیا در «بازداشت دسته‌جمعی ژاپنی‌های آمریکا» به اردوگاه زندانیان ژاپنی-آمریکایی ایالت نیومکزیکو فرستاده نمی‌شد، دختر نوجوان آن خانواده امروز یکی از بزرگ‌ترین هنرمندان و مجسمه‌سازان جهان نشده بود. «روث اساوا»، که در کالیفرنیا به دنیا آمده بود، مثل هزاران ژاپنی دیگر در آمریکا، در واکنش به حمله ژاپن به پرل هاربر، به اردوگاه  مخصوص نگهداری از ژاپنی‌ها بُرده شد. او در شانزده‌سالگی در همین بازداشتگاه با جمعیت مکزیکی‌تبار، آشنا شد. در همان روزهایی که از دیدن پدرش محروم بود و مثل یک اسیر جنگیُ بهت‌زده و حیران روزگار را می‌گذراند، غرق فرهنگ، ادبیات و هنر اسپانیایی ‌زبان‌های منطقه شد و فهمید در زندان می‌تواند هنر را کشف کند. به هر چه نگاه کرد، در همان محیط بسته الهام‌بخشش شد و درک کرد، نزدیک‌ترین چیزها به هنر، واقعیت‌های عادی زندگی است؛ مثل سبدبافی بومی مکزیکی که به ایده اصلی قلاب‌بافی سیمی او تبدیل شد:«من هیچ‌کس را به خاطر آن روزها سرزنش نمی‌کنم. گاهی اتفاق‌‌های خوب و سرنوشت‌ساز زندگی از نامُلایمات، رنج‌ها مشقت‌های زندگی می‌آیند.»

[Lizbeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, publisher and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Everything She Touched is an insightful biography of one of the most important female sculptors of our time. Ruth Asawa's work is amazing and her story is one of triumph.

5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

[Anna Keating · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruth Asawa is a hero. She made art and raised her children and loved her partner and friends and helped her community and was serious about all of it. It wasn't just a body of work it was a life. Her work ethic and talent are so inspiring.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an incredible biography, and I was so motivated by her philosophy around hard work and discipline as an artist. She said yeah I’m gonna be a working artist and have six kids and be married for 50 years there’s nothing y’all can do about it!!! Icon.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has changed my life forever.

[Siobhan Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always loved Ruth Asawa’s woven wire sculptures, but I had no idea what an incredible person she was. The way she chose to live her life is truly inspiring. I highly recommend this to all the creative women in my life.

[mehg-hen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Resilience and ability and dedication. Who knew Japanese Internment camps would produce someone this wonderful. Everything bad in her life she managed to turn around into happiness and new beginnings. Wonderful.

[Angela]

There's no other word for this but "wow."

[divsmath · Rating 4 out of 5]

How some people live through the atrocious and unforgivable hypocrisy that is United States policy, and then choose to spend their lifetime generously giving and giving and giving back, continues to baffle me. Ruth Asawa is a legend and a paragon of grace. That is all.

[Alexia Polasky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is ideal for those looking for a biography on a lesser known artist that was key in her time, area and field, who was also an early feminist without even intending to do so, and also like learning about the historical and social context in which all of that happened. If that sounds good but you'd like to know more before making the decision to read it, you can find a more comprehensive review on my blog.

I’d like to thank Netgalley and Chronicle Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review, but most of all for allowing me to get to know and learn about the incredible artist and important figure that Ruth Asawa was, because I bet I wouldn’t have heard about her otherwise.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography of Ruth Asawa is astounding; beautifully, compellingly written, illuminating Ruth’s many facets. Though she’s most well known for her wire sculptures, she was a painter, an accomplished gardener, sculpted in many mediums, raised a large family, and dedicated her vast energy to accessible art education. Marylin Chase worked from many sources, including 275 boxes of Asawa archives at Stanford. I had expected an art book with some supplemental information and instead enjoyed this comprehensive account of the life of a prolific working artist and renaissance woman (with some strategic photos).

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely my best read of the year - I wonder what could possibly top this? To say it was engaging is an understatement - beautifully written and illustrated. I had a chance to get to San Francisco in '16 but if I knew about Asawa then, I don't recall. I was more fixated on textile work at the time. I did get to Japantown almost daily on that all too brief trip and did see one of her fountains (and may have seen a few others). There's so much to her story and certainly one for the times. It's a universal story in many respects - I found it rich and heartfelt.

And now, I really want to visit SF again.

[Mejix · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Ruth Asawa's work that is why this book was terribly disappointing. The book is not so much about Asawa the artist but about Asawa the activist for arts education in San Francisco. The author doesn't seem qualified to talk about art or art history. (Her characterization of the relation between Albers and Rauschenberg is completely ignorant.) Worst of all, you don't really get a sense of Asawa as a person. My guess is that the book was supervised by the Asawa family or intended as some sort of public relations document. Not terribly useful for anyone interested in Asawa or her artistic work.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly dry and chronological biography from letters, papers, and interviews shortly after Asawa's passing, but what an inspiring artistic life: internment for high school, black mountain college with Albers and Fuller, sexism and racism overcome in pursuing fine art from her family-driven path and material exploration.

[Kitty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, here’s the thing. Asawa was undoubtedly a person of fine character, tremendous work ethic and integrity and definitely left the world better than she found it despite tremendous hardships in her early life.

Unfortunately, she was also a well adjusted, happily married, mother of six with a somewhat retiring personality. As good as she was, the book is kind of dull as a result.

[mya lyman · Rating 3 out of 5]

the story of ruth asawa is a five star ordeal. the way the story is written is probably a 1 or 2 star ordeal

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chase applied her journalistic training and experience quite skillfully in many respects in Everything.

First, as one would hope for with a journalist she gathered and assimilated a wide array of information from primary and secondary sources into a cohesive, comprehensive, and well organized narrative. Asawa’s personal and professional life from her adolescence at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 all the way until the time of her death in 2013 was depicted in a highly textured manner. Direct, declarative prose made the book readily readable. Extensive (at times a bit too many, IMHO?) quotations from correspondence, recollected conversations others had with her in many different situations over the years, and/or interviews underscored the points the author was making. Numerous photos of Asawa’s work and some of her, her husband architect Albert Lanier, and their children also made the narrative more engaging.

Second, the degree of research Chase did is substantiated by 64 pages of Endnotes. I do wish however that the references had been noted in the text itself. I found a few more related books to read by perusing the 4 page Selected Bibliography that is provided. And a 22 page Index makes it possible for readers to go back to review certain points if they so wish after having completed the book.

Everything is a great companion book to read with this one: Ruth Asawa and the Artist-Mother at Midcentury by Jordan Troeller. There is some overlap in the subject matter between them but there is a significant difference in emphasis. Whereas Everything provides a more personal perspective on this woman’s life and work Artist-Mother puts Asawa in the context of art history and theory as well as feminism. If read in conjunction with each other, one will come away with a clear sense of how remarkably creative Asawa was. And also how with her quiet determination she overcame the trauma of being placed in an internment camp at age 16 to pursue her dreams of being an artist who ultimately had a profound impact on San Francisco in particular and the world of art more generally.

Finally, I must note that should you ever come to San Francisco it is well worth your time to see her work. There are two fountains in the city which she made. She created a powerful memorial of the Japanese American internment in .San Jose. And some of her wire sculpture for which she is probably most well known can be seen at the DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park.

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything She Touched: The Life of Ruth Asawa by Marilyn Chase is a phenomenal work of biography and history (art and United States).

I came to this book because I admire Asawa's art and wanted to learn more about her. I expected to gain some appreciation for who she was but did not expect to be moved to the extent I was. I almost don't know where to begin discussing this book.

Ruth Asawa had a life that tested her at every turn. That is probably true, to some extent, of every life, it is the moments in our lives and how we respond to them that test us and make us who we are. Asawa, however, endured things that could easily have broken her, or made her bitter and hateful, or simply made her shut down. Yet through everything she tended to find a positive way to deal with and move through each ordeal.

I found the entire life story compelling but, because of my interests and old friends, I was particularly moved by her experience of the World War II concentration camps the US government set up to jail (contain) many of its own citizens. The ability to both be present in the moment (school, letter writing on behalf of her father, art instruction) and move into the future (going to teacher's college, a trip to Mexico) shows an amazing degree of strength. To also come out of the experience without a long and abiding hatred of all things American is more than I think I would have been able to do. To then work toward making the world a better place for future generations is the stuff of movies.

Chase writes about this life with both a keen eye and a compassionate heart. The details and research is astounding yet the narrative of Asawa's life never gets bogged down in detail. Rather, it is enhanced by being able to connect more of the dots. I can't speak highly enough about how well written and organized this biography is.

I highly recommend this book to readers of biography, this is a wonderful example of the genre. Also any readers of art or art history books will find a lot of interesting information here. Finally, those interested in US history will appreciate this as a work of historical importance because of the efforts Asawa made to reunite her family during WWII and the response (or lack thereof) of government officials.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.