They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker (Illustrator)
Reviewed by: Katie Smith, Reference Specialist
Genre: Graphic Novel, Autobiography, Nonfiction – WWII
Suggested Age: Adults
What is this Book About? George Takei, actor and activist well known for his role as Sulu on Star Trek, describes his childhood imprisonment in Japanese-American internment camps during World War II. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Takei’s family was living in Los Angeles, California. Only a few short months later, his family was forced out of their home and relocated to an internment camp – the Santa Anita Race Track in Arcadia, California. Their first “assigned room” was a well-used horse stall, and as a family of five (two adults, and three children under the age of four) they had to share the small living space. During their internment, the Takei family was uprooted and relocated twice, but were finally released after the war ended in 1945. As an adult, George Takei looks back on his family’s imprisonment with fresh perspective – one that draws attention to a time that America wishes to forget, while also drawing parallels to what is happening today – in an effort to not repeat past mistakes.
My Review: In the early 2000s, I remember studying WWII and the Holocaust, but the incarceration of Japanese-Americans was never discussed. Much more recently, people have begun to speak out about this unsettling part of American history. The way that George Takei talks frankly about his childhood incarceration – describing events through the eyes of a child, but interpreting them as an adult with full understanding – is heartbreaking. He writes, “Years later, the trauma of those experiences continued to haunt me. Most Japanese Americans from my parents’ generation didn’t like to talk about the internment with their children. As with many traumatic experiences, they were anguished by their memories and haunted by shame for something that wasn’t their fault. Shame is a cruel thing. It should rest on the perpetrators but they don’t carry it the way the victims do.” This is a cautionary tale for Americans, which resonates well with the current political and social climate. VERDICT: I appreciated the graphic novel format – this book will appeal to adults and teens equally, and the story will stick with you long after you are finished reading.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Unsettling, Informative, Uplifting
Give This a Try if You Like: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Love, Hate and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed, and Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Rating: 5/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
