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kdailyreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, War, Blood, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Violence, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Physical abuse, Alcohol, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Vomit
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
Gosh, this was incredibly powerful and I am so glad I read it. This historical fictional book has 14 Nisei (first-generation Americans whose parents were born in Japan) kids' narratives who share their perspective of the community climate post-Pearl Harbor and as 100k Japanese Americans are forcibly displaced from their homes into camps.
Their experiences range from covering topics like parent-child dynamics, ruminating on their futures, the push-and-pull between being Japanese AND American, the surveys they were given to either fight for the U.S. Army or to prepare to be sent "back to Japan" if they do not claim "loyalty" to the country they are now living in and/or were born in, and how they try to find reprieve amidst such high racial tensions. I am astounded by the inhumanity with which these folks were treated, but I'm not surprised because as a U.S.ian, I recognize we have put so many groups of people through so much horror and heartache. It's deplorable.
Though I typically have trouble following so many POVs, I didn't have that issue with this collection of interconnected stories. I felt the love, care and connection that was weaved throughout all of these narratives, and thoroughly enjoyed the references to other kids in each POV. Like any found/chosen family, they of course have their inner dynamics and closer groups at play, whether it's envy, admiration, romance, protection, or gratitude. However, what stood out to me most was how genuinely and deeply they cared for each other. Though they endured so much forced change, they tied the SF Bay Area to this group of kids, to this specific family. This is probably not a surprise but I loved Twitchy, and couldn't help but feel so pulled to his story. His ending wrecked me. I sobbed when he saw his fellow friends die in battle, and since he was just a kid, he began to fear for his own mortality. That moment sobered him up like no other, and it was devastating.
I actually used to work at Tanforan Mall in San Bruno, California, (this detention center is noted in the book) and can you believe that I never knew it was where all of these families were forcibly displaced and detained? It sends chills down my spine, realizing how much time I had spent in a place where people were murdered, separated from their families, and had their entire lives uprooted simply because of their ancestry. "The Tanforan Assembly Center served as the unjust detention center for nearly 8,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans during World War II in 1942. We want to ensure their stories are remembered and that this injustice is never repeated against any peoples." You can learn more about it here: https://www.tanforanmemorial.org/history
These kids and this story will stay with me forever and I am so grateful to Traci Chee for continuing to write important stories about the challenges that kids have gone through, past and present. TC is a goddamn gift.
Gosh, this was incredibly powerful and I am so glad I read it. This historical fictional book has 14 Nisei (first-generation Americans whose parents were born in Japan) kids' narratives who share their perspective of the community climate post-Pearl Harbor and as 100k Japanese Americans are forcibly displaced from their homes into camps.
Their experiences range from covering topics like parent-child dynamics, ruminating on their futures, the push-and-pull between being Japanese AND American, the surveys they were given to either fight for the U.S. Army or to prepare to be sent "back to Japan" if they do not claim "loyalty" to the country they are now living in and/or were born in, and how they try to find reprieve amidst such high racial tensions. I am astounded by the inhumanity with which these folks were treated, but I'm not surprised because as a U.S.ian, I recognize we have put so many groups of people through so much horror and heartache. It's deplorable.
Though I typically have trouble following so many POVs, I didn't have that issue with this collection of interconnected stories. I felt the love, care and connection that was weaved throughout all of these narratives, and thoroughly enjoyed the references to other kids in each POV. Like any found/chosen family, they of course have their inner dynamics and closer groups at play, whether it's envy, admiration, romance, protection, or gratitude. However, what stood out to me most was how genuinely and deeply they cared for each other. Though they endured so much forced change, they tied the SF Bay Area to this group of kids, to this specific family. This is probably not a surprise but I loved Twitchy, and couldn't help but feel so pulled to his story.
I actually used to work at Tanforan Mall in San Bruno, California, (this detention center is noted in the book) and can you believe that I never knew it was where all of these families were forcibly displaced and detained? It sends chills down my spine, realizing how much time I had spent in a place where people were murdered, separated from their families, and had their entire lives uprooted simply because of their ancestry. "The Tanforan Assembly Center served as the unjust detention center for nearly 8,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans during World War II in 1942. We want to ensure their stories are remembered and that this injustice is never repeated against any peoples." You can learn more about it here: https://www.tanforanmemorial.org/history
These kids and this story will stay with me forever and I am so grateful to Traci Chee for continuing to write important stories about the challenges that kids have gone through, past and present. TC is a goddamn gift.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Hate crime, Classism, Racism, Racial slurs, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Cursing, Bullying, War, Confinement, Abandonment, Death, Violence, and Xenophobia
green_amaryllis's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Racism, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Gun violence
Minor: Cursing, Alcohol, and Vomit
ems_rxlibrary's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and War
Moderate: Cursing
the_dragon_starback's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So this book is on the Intermediate section of the 2023 YRCA list, and having been asked if I would recommend any of the books on the list I decided to read a few more of them that looked interesting. I chose this book because it had an interesting title and cool cover and honestly went in with low expectations, but this was genuinely so good.
We Are Not Free follows fourteen Japanese-American teens during WWII as they are forced to leave their homes in San Francisco and are sent to incarceration camps. Each teen narrates a chapter, which has the potential to get very confusing and fail miserably, but I thought that Traci Chee pulled it off almost completely. Each character had their own voice, with a few creative narrating choices (one chapter was in second-person, one was in verse, a few were diary entries or letters), and while the names were confusing with all the nicknames, the roster at the beginning was very helpful for reference. But the characterization was truly excellent. I had a picture for each of them, had a sense of who they were within their group, and got a chance to know them through the eyes of the other characters and through their own voice.
Except for Kiyoshi. Literally, who was he? What was his point? I’ve got no idea what he added to the story. But other than that, great characters.
There were some moments that felt disjointed, especially when the characters get split up halfway through, but overall the book maintains that sense of the characters being a part of a group, being important to each other, like family, and that was my favourite part of the story. Whenever a character got into trouble, there was at least a few friends who had their back, and that sense of belonging and trust was conveyed so well, as was the pain and grief when that belonging felt broken.
Oh, also, I cried. So, be warned.
Favourite characters: Keiko, Akko, Twitchy, Frankie, Mas
We Are Not Free follows fourteen Japanese-American teens during WWII as they are forced to leave their homes in San Francisco and are sent to incarceration camps. Each teen narrates a chapter, which has the potential to get very confusing and fail miserably, but I thought that Traci Chee pulled it off almost completely. Each character had their own voice, with a few creative narrating choices (one chapter was in second-person, one was in verse, a few were diary entries or letters), and while the names were confusing with all the nicknames, the roster at the beginning was very helpful for reference. But the characterization was truly excellent. I had a picture for each of them, had a sense of who they were within their group, and got a chance to know them through the eyes of the other characters and through their own voice.
Except for Kiyoshi. Literally, who was he? What was his point? I’ve got no idea what he added to the story. But other than that, great characters.
There were some moments that felt disjointed, especially when the characters get split up halfway through, but overall the book maintains that sense of the characters being a part of a group, being important to each other, like family, and that was my favourite part of the story. Whenever a character got into trouble, there was at least a few friends who had their back, and that sense of belonging and trust was conveyed so well, as was the pain and grief when that belonging felt broken.
Oh, also, I cried. So, be warned.
Favourite characters: Keiko, Akko, Twitchy, Frankie, Mas
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Sexual content
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