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3.93k reviews for:
They Called Us Enemy - Expanded Edition
Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, George Takei
4.54 AVERAGE
3.93k reviews for:
They Called Us Enemy - Expanded Edition
Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, George Takei
4.54 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
A Story That Reveals An Important History
I believe everyone should read this. Not only does it shed a light on a painful truth of the U.S. that not too many people may know about and that it gives a message in a way that many can understand, it shows us it from the eyes of a young child. Having an account of the internment camps in a child's perspective is something else entirely. George Takei's story story made me cry and laugh and, most importantly, I've gained a better understanding of how it was like for the Japanese Americans. My thoughts are all over the place but again, it doesn't take long to read and a lot of people should be able to read this.
I believe everyone should read this. Not only does it shed a light on a painful truth of the U.S. that not too many people may know about and that it gives a message in a way that many can understand, it shows us it from the eyes of a young child. Having an account of the internment camps in a child's perspective is something else entirely. George Takei's story story made me cry and laugh and, most importantly, I've gained a better understanding of how it was like for the Japanese Americans. My thoughts are all over the place but again, it doesn't take long to read and a lot of people should be able to read this.
dark
informative
sad
fast-paced
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
This is an important graphic novel that, unfortunately, shows us that freedom and democracy are as fragile as they are precious.
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
At our most recent meeting of the Bookworms, we decided to spend some time reading. I had bazillions of papers to grade, but thought I’d spend at least a few minutes with a book. Those few minutes turned into many minutes as I found that I could not put down George Takei’s “They Called Us Enemy.”
This richly illustrated graphic novel tells the story of Takei’s early life as he and his family are forcibly removed from their Los Angeles home and sent to U.S. internment camps during World War II. The story also explains how these early experiences shaped Takei’s life as an actor and activist.
Takei explains how, as a young child, he didn’t really understand what was happening other than that his family was on a grand adventure that left his father depressed and his mother in tears. Four years later, as his family is released from the Tule Lake camp, he is beginning to understand the injustices of Executive Order 9066.
Ultimately, this is a story of resilience as Takei turns his family’s experience during the war and turns it into a life of action against injustice.
“They Called Us Enemy” is available in both English and Spanish. It’s a fantastic addition to the classroom library.
This richly illustrated graphic novel tells the story of Takei’s early life as he and his family are forcibly removed from their Los Angeles home and sent to U.S. internment camps during World War II. The story also explains how these early experiences shaped Takei’s life as an actor and activist.
Takei explains how, as a young child, he didn’t really understand what was happening other than that his family was on a grand adventure that left his father depressed and his mother in tears. Four years later, as his family is released from the Tule Lake camp, he is beginning to understand the injustices of Executive Order 9066.
Ultimately, this is a story of resilience as Takei turns his family’s experience during the war and turns it into a life of action against injustice.
“They Called Us Enemy” is available in both English and Spanish. It’s a fantastic addition to the classroom library.
emotional
informative
medium-paced
George Takei's powerful graphic memoir recounts his family's forced internment in Japanese American concentration camps during World War II. The book vividly portrays the confusion and fear as these families are uprooted from their comfortable lives and unjustly incarcerated. It details the harsh realities of camp life, the constant uncertainty, and the struggle to maintain dignity and hope amidst dehumanizing conditions. By sharing his childhood perspective, the memoir highlights themes of racism, prejudice, the fragility of civil liberties, and the enduring strength of family and the American spirit. It also allows readers to reflect on the importance of speaking out against injustice today.
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
A very powerful graphic memoir that hits especially hard right now, with due process being ignored and many citizens speaking out against these actions. It's sad to see history repeating itself to this extent.
"That is the strength of our system. Good people organized, speaking loudly and clearly. Engaged in the democratic process."
"As a teenager, I became curious about the internment camps... I came to see the internment as an assault not only upon our entire group of Americans but on the Constitution itself. How its guarantees of due process and equal protection had been decimated by forces of fear and prejudice, unleashed by unscrupulous politicians."
"That remains part of the problem - that we don't know the unpleasant aspects of American history and therefore we don't learn the lesson those chapters have to teach us. So we repeat them over and over again."
"Our democracy is a participatory democracy. Existentially, it's dependent on people who cherish the shining, highest ideals of our democracy and actively engage in the political process."
"Despite all that we've experienced, our democracy is still the best in the world because it's a people's democracy, and people can do great things."