The Race is a novel about the discovery of fifteen Supermarine Spitfire airplanes buried in Burma at the end of World War II and their subsequent excavation, acquisition, and transformation into state-of-the-art floatplanes, capable of traveling long distances and landing at sea. Fifteen women of different backgrounds are ultimately chosen to pilot the planes in a trans-Pacific race from Tokyo to San Francisco. Beyond their private narratives, each woman experiences a larger dialogue about culture and gender issues, the moral and ecological state of our planet, the human condition, and the universal need for compassion.
Evolving around stories and narrative fictions seen as photographic fact, The Race is a logical extension of Nagatani's visual campaigns. His lifelong interests in Buddhism, fiction and poetry, alternative medicine, indigenous cultures, identity, and self-examination all play a prominent part in this epic tale of adventure.
