Francesca Yukari Biller
@francescaFrancesca Biller is an award winning investigative journalist, political satirist, author, and social commentator for print, radio, and television. With a background of Japanese and Jewish, she writes about her interesting background in both an introspective and humorous way and her work has been been published for The Huffington Post, CNN, The Los Angeles Times, The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, and many other publications. Awards include The Edward R. Murrow award, two Golden Mike awards, and four Society of Professional Journalists awards for Excellence in Journalism. Biller is currently writing three books, the first a novel about the 442nd Infantry set in Hawaii, the second a compilation of humorous essays about growing up as a Japanese Jew in Los Angeles during the 1970s, and the third a Lifestyle book about how a diet of Hawaiian, Japanese, and Jewish food keeps her family healthy and happy. She is also currently on a national radio tour discussing her humorous take on politics, pop culture, and families.
Updated June 2012
Stories from This Author
Pearl Harbor: A Personal History Of Triumph And Success
July 10, 2012 • Francesca Yukari Biller
Although picking coffee beans on her family’s Hawaiian farm was what Sumiko did each day as a child, she dreamt that one day she would design beautiful clothes. But she had no idea how much her culture would influence each exotic hue and stitch that make her designs so unique. In the small sleepy town of Kona, most folks were farmers and business owners who worked hard and lived simple lives. It was like a picturesque postcard where palm trees …
Japanese-Jew Doesn't "Oy Veh" So Much Since Obama
June 26, 2012 • Francesca Yukari Biller
As a Japanese-Jew, I have historically used self deprecating humor at my own expense as a way to explain and defend to others who I was and to feel accepted. My cultural confusion can be summed up in this anonymous quote, “There is no escaping karma. In a previous life, you never called, you never wrote, you never visited. And whose fault was that?” Until recently I believed “everything” was my fault. And I would certainly be the last person …
Honoring Japanese American World War II Veterans
June 6, 2012 • Francesca Yukari Biller
My Japanese American uncle just turned 90 this weekend, and here is his story about how he fought in World War II. He fought in the 442nd Battalion, the most highly decorated infantry in United States History, and he received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his bravery. And in his words, he shouldn’t have had to prove that “he was an American” anymore than anyone else, simply because he was Japanese. It was a frightening period for …
