Above the East China Sea: A Novel (58 page)

For the fifth time in a row, I am the luckiest author around to have the privilege of working with the paragons of publishing at Alfred A. Knopf: Kim Thornton, Annie Eggers, Christine Gillespie, Gabriele Wilson, Kathleen Fridella, Peggy Samedi, and Maggie Hinders. I am grateful for your talent, taste, enthusiasm, and dedication. I can never truly thank my editor, the magnificent Ann Close, for the imperceptible magic she always works which, somehow, transforms impossible messes into books. The radiant spirit of Nina Bourne hovers around all of you.

For always, from the very beginning, having my back, here’s to you, Kristine Dahl.

And to Gabriel and George. You are my hometown.

For readers interested in learning more about the Land of Constant Courtesy, I recommend starting with
Okinawa: The History of an Island People
by George Kerr.

Sarah Bird is the author of eight previous novels, including
The Yokota Officers Club.
She is a columnist for
Texas Monthly
and has contributed to many other magazines, including
O, The Oprah Magazine; The New York Times Magazine; Real Simple; Salon; The Daily Beast;
and
Good Housekeeping.
The 2010 Johnston Dobie Paisano fellow, a recent inductee into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame, and winner of the Austin Library Foundation Illumine 2012 Award, Sarah, who moved all over the world growing up with her air force family, lives in Austin, Texas.