Reviews with content warning for Racism - We Are Not Free

This book was very moving. Each chapter has a different narrator. Some of them speak in a sort of 1940s style, and one of them is even in the form of poems. Some of the chapters dragged a bit for me because I wasn't interested in that particular narrator or story, but most of them kept me interested. If I could nitpick just a little,

I wish that the Keiko/Twitchy romance hadn't happened. I liked Keiko's character better before that, and I felt that Minnow's reaction to Twitchy's death would have been more impactful if he were the only one to have romantic feelings toward Twitchy.

But that's just a nitpick. Overall, I really felt for all the characters and the awful things they were experiencing, and I loved reading about how they still wove these uplifting community moments into their lives even through everything that was going on.

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kbucheit's review against another edition

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challenging emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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maks's review

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Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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carolyn_librarian's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Historical fiction done best with real stories weaved into the characters hearts and minds. Real generational trauma that is still felt today in the USA. A emotional, impactful cry against those who want to forget the nation’s past actions and how they echo in political moves done by those in power today. Individual POVs so well fleshed out, a peak into each life feeling the injustice and finding their own way to cope while having to grow up and navigate imprisonment, prejudice, and powerlessness. One of the best books on the USA Japanese Incarceration Camps I’ve found in fiction and nonfiction.

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herceia's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This made me cry so hard twice, once with happiness, once with sadness. The sadness one was the one where I had to do my lie-on-the-floor-sobbing position in order to calm down and not burst a vein. A little long, but very well crafted and beautifully told. I think all white people should read this

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