foray into fiction. An ambitious first novel that
is, by turn, both humorous and horrific, My Year
of Meats tells the story of a Japanese-American
documentary filmmaker whose work on a series
of films on American cooking shows leads her to
uncover some unsavory and dangerous practices
in the meat production industry. Ozeki’s second
novel, ALL OVER CREATION (2003), also features a
Japanese-American female protagonist and again
takes up issues of food, this time confronting issues
of genetic modification in contemporary farming
practices. Both novels, published by Viking and
released in paperback by Penguin, have garnered
significant critical recognition. My Year of Meats
won the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Prize and the Imus/
Barnes & Noble American Book Award. All over
Creation received the American Book Award from
the Before Columbus Foundation and the Willa
Literary Award for Contemporary Fiction.
Currently vice president on the board of direc-
tors for Women Make Movies, Ozeki continues
to write fiction and to lecture at colleges and uni-
versities throughout the United States. One of her
short stories, “Ships in the Night,” was selected for
inclusion in Charlie Chan Is Dead 2, the follow-
up to the landmark anthology of Asian-American
writing edited by JESSICA HAGEDORN.
Bibliography
Ruth Ozeki. “About Ozeki.” Available online. URL:
http://www.ruthozeki.com. Downloaded on Janu-
ary 20, 2006.
Rachel Ihara
Ozeki, Ruth 235