A sweeping novel of history, war, and courage in the face of injustice, Tears of Honor tells the story of the heroic Japanese American soldiers who fought against Nazi tyranny in Europe, while their families were imprisoned in America. Sammy and Freddy are two all-American boys in the summer of 1941, dreaming of becoming professional baseball players and maybe asking a girl to the senior prom. But when the war comes, Sammy Miyaki, Freddy Shiraga, and their families are seen as enemy aliens, not Americans. In San Francisco and Washington, General John DeWitt and Major Karl Bendetsen (the actual historical architects of the Japanese internment order) wage a bureaucratic war to persuade the government to give legal sanction to their plans to detain the Japanese population. As the Miyaki and Shiraga families are taken from their homes and placed in internment camps, Sammy and Freddy decide the only way to prove their loyalty to America is to join the Army. Assigned to an all Japanese American combat unit fighting against the Germans, Sammy and Freddy are placed under the command of the combat-hardened Lieutenant Young Oak Kim (a real-life person and one of the most highly decorated American soldiers in history), who leads them through some of the fiercest fighting of the war. Sammy, Freddy, and their comrades confront the prejudice of white soldiers and the horrors of combat, as they come to realize they are fighting not just for the United States, but for the honor of all Japanese Americans. " Tears of Honor is an inspiring American story of the Nisei soldiers fighting for freedom abroad to restore the honor of their families denied freedom at home." ― Dale Ikeda, District Governor, Japanese American Citizens League " Tears of Honor tells the extraordinary story of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the all-Japanese American combat unit and captures in personal terms the tragedies and heroism of one of America's most highly decorated units in US military history." ― John Tateishi , author of Redress: The Inside Story of the Successful Campaign for Japanese America Reparations "Deftly illuminates the experiences of interned Japanese Americans ... battle scenes are skillfully drawn." ― Michael Lieberman , Artblog "Blends fiction and nonfiction into a docudrama that places invented characters next to the documented conversations of historical figures ... The combat scenes are detailed, graphic, and sometimes hard to bear. Ardaiz doesn't glorify war." ― Kings River Life "Emotionally charged with a fine blend of military clashes, history, and insights into prejudice and redemption in a gripping saga that is hard to put down and realistic in its roots." ― The Bookwatch A graduate of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, James A. Ardaiz at 28 years of age was one of the youngest lawyers in California to achieve the distinction of Chief Deputy District Attorney for the Fresno County District Attorney's office where he was in charge of Homicide prosecutions. At the age of 32 he became a Municipal Court Judge, at 35 a Superior Court Judge and at 39, an Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal. In 1994 he became the Administrative Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal for Central California. An instructor at the California Judicial College as well as a professor of Evidence, he retired in 2010 from the judiciary.       As a sitting jurist, he was named California Jurist of the Year and is the recipient of numerous awards and acknowledgment including two by the California State Legislature for his work as a judge. He is the author of the #1 Bestseller, Hands Through Stone, a non-fiction account of the last case resulting in execution in California, "A terrifying look at the mind of evil and the lengths it can go...a fine addition to any true crime collection..." California Bookwatch; Fractured Justice, "A gripping, fast-paced, and coldly realistic thriller...Fractured Justice is a stunning debut crime novel..." Midwest Book Review; Shades of Truth, "a well-crafted cold case legal thriller," Kings River Review; and Tears of Honor, a historical fiction account of the Japanese American internment in WWII, Five Stars on Amazon reader reviews, "racism, heroism, love, friendship, fear, hope, courage and honor. The book is well worth reading".      His new book, Trading Innocence, is a terrifying glimpse into the world of international sex trafficking that will draw the reader into an investigation of murder, greed and a fight to save two young victims from men who will stop at nothing to feed the perversion of those who prey on children and will pay for the opportunity. The Germans began to lay fire down on the hill they were about to ascend. Sammy moved forward, following Yuki and Tug. The sound was overwhelming. Screeching artillery mixed with the pinging sound of ricochets off rocky outcroppings. Sammy saw dirt spray upward as bullets hit the ground in front of him. The ripping soun