How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
An unflagging loyalty to his profession and its principles made Arthur, over the years, increasingly deliberate in his speech and actions, and increasingly exacting regarding the truth in even his most casual reportage. (4.19)
Ishmael's father was apparently a huge stickler for morals and the truth. Ishmael's morality and style of reporting prove to be very different from his father's.
Quote #2
This was what his father had taught him: the greater the composure, the more revealed one was, the truth of one's inner life was manifest—a pleasing paradox. (11.4)
This is Kabuo reflecting upon the lessons his father taught him. Unfortunately, the truth—which is that he's a good guy—is not really evident to the jury "because of" his composure. Of course, it's really because of their prejudices that they view his calmness as evidence that he's haughty and aloof and, by extension, totally different from themselves and inscrutable.
Quote #3
"Not every fact is just a fact," he added. "It's all a kind of ... balancing act. A juggling of pins, all kinds of pins, that's what journalism is about." (13.57)
This quote comes from Arthur Chambers, who was talking to Ishmael at the time. In his journalism, Arthur purposely played up the contributions of Japanese Americans to the community and the U.S. war effort. Ishmael thought that was bias, but Arthur defends the choice, explaining here that the way facts are presented always has an angle, in his view.
Quote #4
Through all of it Hatsue had struggled with the temptation to reveal the truth to her sisters and school friends, because the truth was a burden to carry in silence and she felt the need, like most young girls, to speak about love with other girls. But she never did. (14.62)
Like Ishmael, Hatsue kept the truth about their relationship a secret. Her inability to share this key detail of her life weighed her down, making her feel dishonest and isolating her from others.
Quote #5
"Write your own letter," she said in Japanese. "Tell him the truth about things. Put all of this in your history. Tell him the truth so you can move forward. Put this hakujin boy away now." (15.72)
This is Fujiko talking to Hatsue, who has just assured her mother that she doesn't love Ishmael. In order for Hatsue to get the relationship behind her, Fujiko is recommending that she let Ishmael know the truth—ASAP.
Quote #6
They were as good as lost forever, it seemed to Ishmael, and no one knew the truth of the matter: that on the night Carl Heine had drowned, stopping his watch at 1:47, a freighter plowed through Ship Channel Bank at 1:42—just five minutes earlier—no doubt throwing before it a wall of water big enough to founder a small gill-netting boat and toss even a big man overboard. Or rather one person, he himself, knew the truth. That was the heart of it. (23.56)
Ishmael has just found the evidence that Carl Heine likely wasn't murdered at all, and he's kind of power tripping on the fact that, had it not been for him, the information might never have been discovered. Also, he's trying to figure out what to do with the intel. Ishmael doesn't actually seem too keen on the prospect of the truth getting Kabuo sprung, since he wants to snuggle up to Hatsue.
Quote #7
'"You said yourself the trial isn't over," Ishmael's mother pointed out. "The defense hasn't made its case yet, but you're all ready to convict. You've got the prosecutor's set of facts, but that might not be the whole story—it never is, Ishmael. And besides, really, facts are so cold, so horribly cold—can we depend on facts by themselves?" (24.39)
Like her husband, Helen Chambers has a more complicated view of facts than their son; she admits that there's a lot of other stuff beyond "facts" that goes into figuring out the truth.
Quote #8
Wasn't that the strangest part? That by entering her he'd granted her the means to understand the truth? He'd wanted to be inside of her again, and he'd wanted her to ask him to be there again, and on the next day she'd gone away. (24.72)
Ishmael is remembering the very brief sexual encounter he had with Hatsue right before she left for Manzanar. First, it's worth noting that she didn't "ask him to be there" in the first place. Immediately after this "entering" Ishmael mentions, she became very agitated and asked him to stop (which he did). Looks like some enthusiastic consent training might have been helpful.
Despite her reaction, Ishmael apparently thought they would have a second go at some point. Oh, Ishmael, really? Then, he dresses up this unwanted sexual contact as some great opportunity that gave her access to the "truth" that she didn't love him. He seems to think this is ironic, but it's really only ironic from his perspective (since he was having a great time). It's less ironic or "strange" when we consider that Hatsue (whose mind we can see into as well during the flashback to this event) didn't seem into it at all.
Quote #9
"The truth isn't easy." (27.25)
These are Kabuo's words to Nels Gudmundsson when the latter is trying to get the real story of what happened between Kabuo and Carl the night of Carl's death. Kabuo had his personal reasons for not coming out with the details right away (apparently, he didn't think anyone would believe him), so that's probably kind of what's on his mind here.