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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
Equally touching and painful, sobering and hopeful, George Takei’s memoir of living in the Japanese internment camps as a small child comes to life in They Called Us Enemy. With the help of Steven Scott and Justin Eisinger for text and the simple yet evocative artwork (in a black-and-white Japanese manga style) by Harmony Becker, Takei relates his story through both his childhood eyes and his adult eyes. We are treated to the innocent joy of a child who sees his experiences as a “vacation” (mostly), and the reflections and activism of an adult who wants to share his story so that newer generations not only never forget what has been done and but also encourage everyone to stand up for what is right in their daily lives.
I read this in pretty much one sitting, and it kept pulling on my emotional strings. Takei as a child mostly saw magic and normalcy in the internment camp – thanks largely to his young age and his parents’ efforts to protect him and his younger siblings. Takei as a teenager and adult had/has questions about the experience – why them, why didn’t his parents make different decisions, why didn’t they or many (enough) others, Japanese-American or not, stand up and speak out to the injustices going on – frustrations which resonate even today. He does not shy away from the darkness of the past nor how that darkness is still present, and uses his past as a way to reach out to others, to show them why what was wrong then is wrong now, and that you and I can make a difference. Every small gesture, every individual, has the opportunity to make a difference, and it is up to us to take those opportunities to speak out against injustice in all its forms.
Favorite quotes:
Childhood memories are especially slippery. Sweet and so full of joy, they can often be a misrendering of the truth. For a child, that sweetness…out of context and intensely subjective…remains forever real. I know that I will always be haunted by the larger, vaguely remembered reality of the circumstances surrounding my childhood. – page 51
Though they responded in different ways—caring for their families, fighting on the battlefield, or serving time for their principles—all these Japanese Americans showed incredible courage and heroism. They proved that being American is not just for some people. They all made difficult choices to demonstrate their patriotism to this country, even when it rejected them. – page 123
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. – page 140
I read this in pretty much one sitting, and it kept pulling on my emotional strings. Takei as a child mostly saw magic and normalcy in the internment camp – thanks largely to his young age and his parents’ efforts to protect him and his younger siblings. Takei as a teenager and adult had/has questions about the experience – why them, why didn’t his parents make different decisions, why didn’t they or many (enough) others, Japanese-American or not, stand up and speak out to the injustices going on – frustrations which resonate even today. He does not shy away from the darkness of the past nor how that darkness is still present, and uses his past as a way to reach out to others, to show them why what was wrong then is wrong now, and that you and I can make a difference. Every small gesture, every individual, has the opportunity to make a difference, and it is up to us to take those opportunities to speak out against injustice in all its forms.
Favorite quotes:
Childhood memories are especially slippery. Sweet and so full of joy, they can often be a misrendering of the truth. For a child, that sweetness…out of context and intensely subjective…remains forever real. I know that I will always be haunted by the larger, vaguely remembered reality of the circumstances surrounding my childhood. – page 51
Though they responded in different ways—caring for their families, fighting on the battlefield, or serving time for their principles—all these Japanese Americans showed incredible courage and heroism. They proved that being American is not just for some people. They all made difficult choices to demonstrate their patriotism to this country, even when it rejected them. – page 123
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. – page 140
challenging
informative
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
I’ve never read a graphic memoir before but this was one of the most powerful and important books I’ve read. George Takei’s telling of his life events and all that he has had to overcome was powerful and poignant. This is a story we’ve seen many times, people who have done nothing wrong but because of their ancestry or religion are scrutinized and hated. I think that this is truly a powerful and important read!
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
There are difficult periods in history which we want to forget because they don't fit into the convenient narrative. Yet, to ignore history is to ensure that you repeat it. It is important to acknowledge what happened, confront the wrong and take from it the lessons you can.
George Takei is best known for his role in Star Trek, and for using that platform to advocate as a social activist. This graphic novel looks at his early years when his American family of Japanese descent was forced into a camp on the presumption that they owed allegiance to Japan and not to America. Later, they were given the option to join the US Army and to revoke their allegiance to Japan- contentious objectors were called "No No People", and they had to struggle to prove their continuing loyalty to the nation after the War ended.
The book also shows how children (like George Takei) who grew up in the camps still managed to build a life there, and of the challenges they faced when they had to reintegrate into society. Above everything else, this is a story of hope and of people clinging on to hope and working to ensure that their hopes come true.
George Takei is best known for his role in Star Trek, and for using that platform to advocate as a social activist. This graphic novel looks at his early years when his American family of Japanese descent was forced into a camp on the presumption that they owed allegiance to Japan and not to America. Later, they were given the option to join the US Army and to revoke their allegiance to Japan- contentious objectors were called "No No People", and they had to struggle to prove their continuing loyalty to the nation after the War ended.
The book also shows how children (like George Takei) who grew up in the camps still managed to build a life there, and of the challenges they faced when they had to reintegrate into society. Above everything else, this is a story of hope and of people clinging on to hope and working to ensure that their hopes come true.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Graphic memoir of the WWII Japanese American internment (concentration) camps from the perspective of a young George Takei. It was amazing to see Mr. Takei speak in person in the spring of 2023. He's clearly always fought for the humanitarian rights of all.
challenging
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Xenophobia