ThoughtGallery.org > Author Talk: Tokyo Rose—Zero Hour

Author Talk: Tokyo Rose—Zero Hour

Catch a special, pre-New York Comic Con author talk with Andre Frattino, the author of the 2022 graphic novel Tokyo Rose – Zero Hour: A Japanese American Woman’s Persecution and Ultimate Redemption After World War II.

This title was one of the selections on the 2022 New York Public Library’s Best New Comics for Adults list. Let’s kick Comic Con weekend off right! All ages welcome!!

Traitor or hero? Discover the truth behind the legendary Tokyo Rose.

Tokyo Rose: Zero Hour tells the true story of Iva Toguri, a Japanese American woman who was visiting her relatives in Tokyo shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Trapped in Japan, Iva refused to renounce her American citizenship. But she was forced to take a job with Radio Tokyo to host “Zero Hour,” a propaganda broadcast aimed at demoralizing American troops–in the role of the infamous Tokyo Rose, “The Siren of the Pacific.”

The dramatic events recounted in this story include:

  • Iva’s arrest by the Americans, who eventually found that her actions were blameless
  • Her emotional return to the United States and the racially motivated public outcry that led to her re-arrest and prosecution for treason
  • The dishonest actions of prosecutors who coerced witnesses into providing false evidence against her
  • The six years she spent in prison, and her eventual pardon by President Ford in 1977

Written by Andre Frattino and illustrated by Kate Kasenow, Tokyo Rose: Zero Hour has an introduction explaining the “Tokyo Rose” phenomenon and the devastating effects of World War II on Asian-American communities that continue to reverberate. In a world rife with misinformation and racial prejudice, the story of Tokyo Rose has never been more relevant.











When: Wed., Oct. 11, 2023 at 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Where: 53rd Street Library
18 W. 53rd St.
212-714-8400
Price: Free
Buy tickets/get more info now
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Catch a special, pre-New York Comic Con author talk with Andre Frattino, the author of the 2022 graphic novel Tokyo Rose – Zero Hour: A Japanese American Woman’s Persecution and Ultimate Redemption After World War II.

This title was one of the selections on the 2022 New York Public Library’s Best New Comics for Adults list. Let’s kick Comic Con weekend off right! All ages welcome!!

Traitor or hero? Discover the truth behind the legendary Tokyo Rose.

Tokyo Rose: Zero Hour tells the true story of Iva Toguri, a Japanese American woman who was visiting her relatives in Tokyo shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Trapped in Japan, Iva refused to renounce her American citizenship. But she was forced to take a job with Radio Tokyo to host “Zero Hour,” a propaganda broadcast aimed at demoralizing American troops–in the role of the infamous Tokyo Rose, “The Siren of the Pacific.”

The dramatic events recounted in this story include:

  • Iva’s arrest by the Americans, who eventually found that her actions were blameless
  • Her emotional return to the United States and the racially motivated public outcry that led to her re-arrest and prosecution for treason
  • The dishonest actions of prosecutors who coerced witnesses into providing false evidence against her
  • The six years she spent in prison, and her eventual pardon by President Ford in 1977

Written by Andre Frattino and illustrated by Kate Kasenow, Tokyo Rose: Zero Hour has an introduction explaining the “Tokyo Rose” phenomenon and the devastating effects of World War II on Asian-American communities that continue to reverberate. In a world rife with misinformation and racial prejudice, the story of Tokyo Rose has never been more relevant.

Buy tickets/get more info now