As most of us know from experience, external pressures on a family inevitably emerge within the family dynamic putting strains on long stable relationships in expected and unexpected ways. It is no different for the families who feature in The Train to Crystal City, and that is one of the things that make it such a compelling read. Author, Jan Jarboe Russell never lets the reader lose sight of the fact that the large tectonic movements of World War II history have very real, life-altering effects for ordinary people. In her appearance at the Asia Society this Sunday, Jan Jarboe Russell will focus her discussion on one such family, the Taniguchis and especially on American-born, teenage daughter Sumi.