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3.94k reviews for:
They Called Us Enemy - Expanded Edition
Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, George Takei
4.54 AVERAGE
3.94k reviews for:
They Called Us Enemy - Expanded Edition
Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, George Takei
4.54 AVERAGE
In the vein of Maus, probably what I expected from what I know of Takei.
As an adult, I know the history of the internment camps. I've read fiction and nonfiction about the experience. But this graphic novel through the eyes of a child brings new heartbreak to the story of imprisoning American immigrants that isn't as much a thing of the past as we'd like to believe.
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This is a must read for all Americans. Both to inform us of a piece of our past that too few know about and to help us take action to prevent it happening again.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, War
Moderate: Death
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This was a great graphic novel that made me think about the Japanese internment camps in a new way. I like how it layered other events on top of that experience and I learned a lot about other aspects that made it so difficult.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Americans never change :/
This is an important story and, in my opinion, should be mandatory reading in schools. This is a period of US History that is largely ignored or glossed over. And as George Takei points out, doing so leads us to recommitting the mistakes of the past. It was a deeply sad and shameful in many parts, but Takei does an amazing job of threading hope and progress throughout the novel. Overall, it leaves the reader with optimism and purpose, something all of us could benefit from.
Two things I think are great and should be called out was the choice to do a graphic novel and the nuance in discussing the camps through different life stages. The graphic novel format really excels with this memoir. It not only makes the story easy to read, I think most of us can agree images tug at the heart strings in a way words can't always do. I also feel that this makes it more accessible to a younger audience. I also loved the way he discussed his after-dinner talks with his father and the different ways of discussing history and democracy. He acknowledges the way he felt at the time, especially as a teenager, and then way his views have changed since. I enjoyed this nuance because activism and our social/political views change as we gain different perspectives. It's not treated as right v. wrong, but as a fact of life.
I can't recommend this enough. It's important and it's a small time commitment for busy schedules. But the story will stay with you and hopefully provide so optimism and passion in democracy.
Two things I think are great and should be called out was the choice to do a graphic novel and the nuance in discussing the camps through different life stages. The graphic novel format really excels with this memoir. It not only makes the story easy to read, I think most of us can agree images tug at the heart strings in a way words can't always do. I also feel that this makes it more accessible to a younger audience. I also loved the way he discussed his after-dinner talks with his father and the different ways of discussing history and democracy. He acknowledges the way he felt at the time, especially as a teenager, and then way his views have changed since. I enjoyed this nuance because activism and our social/political views change as we gain different perspectives. It's not treated as right v. wrong, but as a fact of life.
I can't recommend this enough. It's important and it's a small time commitment for busy schedules. But the story will stay with you and hopefully provide so optimism and passion in democracy.
emotional
By telling his story, his family's story, and the story of all those Japanese Americans like him who were wrongfully interned, George Takei not only provides us his personal experience of a dark chapter from America's history but also makes it needfully clear that this is something that must be learned from, and should not be repeated again - as long as there are those of us who believe that we are better than this.
*An update from January 2025 - this feels like it's about to somehow become a lot more relevant than it already was.
*An update from January 2025 - this feels like it's about to somehow become a lot more relevant than it already was.