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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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