Monthly Book Review: Kleinkopf Diary
- Micah Hetherington
- 3 days ago
- 1 min read
Diaries can be a fantastic resource to understand history better. Friends of Minidoka recently released the diary of Minidoka Superintendent of Education Arthur Kleinkopf, which has never been published in full before. The Kleinkopf family graciously gifted Friends of Minidoka the copyright to increase access for scholars, researchers, students, Minidoka descendents, and the general public. After scanning the original typewritten document at the Twin Falls Public Library, Friends of Minidoka staff and our exceptional book designer, Lori Kurts, transcribed and edited the text for grammatical errors. Introductory context, historic photographs, acronym definitions, and an index were added to compliment the diary.
Within the 355 transcribed pages of Kleinkopf’s diary are themes of democracy, American identity, pedagogy, anti-Japanese racism, and labor issues, amongst others. Prior to his role as Superintendent, Kleinkopf served as the Supervisor for Student Teachers. He acquired accreditation and established classes for Japanese American student teachers, who received college credit for their work in the schools. Serving in these two roles from September, 1942 to February, 1946, Kleinkopf provides a significant documentation of day-to-day life and work at Minidoka. His writing displays hyper-nationalistic sentiment during World War Two, and the concerns WRA staff had when Japanese Americans demonstrated anything less than that. As a primary source from a staff member, the Kleinkopf diary is a fundamental part of telling the complex history of Japanese American incarceration.
You can now purchase either the softcover or hardcover version of “Education and Freedom at Minidoka: The Diary of the Superintendent Arthur Kleinkopf”:
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