Sumi Kinoshita is a retired public health nurse. A second-generation Canadian, she was born in Victoria, BC in 1938. In 1942, when all people of Japanese ancestry became "enemy aliens" in Canada, her family was forced to move to the interior of British Columbia.

Now a widow, Mrs. Kinoshita lives in Coquitlam, BC and has two daughters and five grandchildren. The story, Shikataganai, was born out of a heartfelt desire to record her family story for future generations.