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3.95k reviews for:
They Called Us Enemy - Expanded Edition
Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, George Takei
4.54 AVERAGE
3.95k reviews for:
They Called Us Enemy - Expanded Edition
Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, George Takei
4.54 AVERAGE
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.
Beautiful pictures. Takei eloquently writes of his life and the time his family spent in a Japanese internment camp, a time the US government acted unconstitutionally, and still today tries to sweep it under the rug. The white-washed history that is still a part of school curricula is shameful. As Takei writes on page 174, "That remains part of the problem- that we don't know the unpleasant aspects of American history and therefore we don't learn the lessons those chapters have to teach us, so we repeat them over and over again."
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
I loved this book! I know very little about Japanese interment and telling his story through memoir was even more compelling. The book was well thought out and not graphic about things happening in the camps; it gave me just enough to explore on my own about the topic more.
I appreciated that GT included details about reparations to those in the camps and was reflective about his experience while acknowledging there were grave injustices in the camps and just because his family was a little better off that there were people who were split apart from loved ones forcibly.
I appreciated that GT included details about reparations to those in the camps and was reflective about his experience while acknowledging there were grave injustices in the camps and just because his family was a little better off that there were people who were split apart from loved ones forcibly.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism
challenging
emotional
informative
fast-paced
i don’t have cohesive thoughts really, but wow ... that was really good
George Takei inherited the generosity and kindness from his dad - as he describes in this honest and personal description of his experience at the internment in Arkansas. His father always found a way to help the community, to be of service to others. We see how George Takei uses his fame and voice to help others by speaking up for equality and supporting those in the government that will fight for it.
This graphic novel, told from the point of you of young George, describes the difficult and frightening times the Japanese Americans faced during the WWII in America. This history has to be repeated and not forgotten or swept under the rug.
This graphic novel, told from the point of you of young George, describes the difficult and frightening times the Japanese Americans faced during the WWII in America. This history has to be repeated and not forgotten or swept under the rug.
