Reviews with content warning for War - Eine Kindheit im Internierungslager

George Takei recounts the experience of being interned during WWII through the optimistic lens of his childhood. It’s a really poignant and tragic and hopeful story. I felt he tried too much to make aphorisms about America but it works well as a book for young adults.

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steveatwaywords's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

4.25

That Takei has produced this necessary graphic memoir/history is vitally important, as it clearly opens the door for many in the United States to learning about a much-omitted chapter of our race relations; and for younger readers, it is a gentler (while educational) initial step into understanding ourselves, how our history is created for us, how we be a more powerful democracy for knowing it.

Takei is clear where his youthful memory ends and his historical research begins, stepping back from his moments in these internment camps--some painful, some sentimental--to offer us political background, court cases, speeches of key congressional figures. He also offers us a stark look at the transition back, not just for his family, but for tens of thousands of others. He also offers several pages of historical records and photographs which solidify the illustrated text.

The story is well told, personal and focused. And its sincerity is genuine, of course. If it finds difficulty in navigating the narrative it is in finding the right balance between offering the complexity of the political situation around him and streamlining its presentation for the format of the work. There are no easy answers to it: hopefully, what he reveals is enough to provoke readers to search more. In this way, Takei and his team may have done well to offer directions for readers new to this dark history to explore further.

Even so, for youthful readers, perhaps those as early as ages 8 or 10, this is powerful stuff. For adults who find this book, it's a worthwhile underscoring of our past to better understand its many consequences today.

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booknerd_life's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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keelin's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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bellebookstitch666's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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alexisgarcia's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.5

i really "enjoyed" reading this (its hard to say you enjoyed reading a book that revolves around war, racism, etc.). similar to others, the only issue i had was discerning when it went back in time or changed to a different setting. i really enjoyed the art style though

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asourceoffiction's review against another edition

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emotional informative sad fast-paced

5.0

I find it utterly shocking I knew so little about the way Japanese Americans were treated in the wake of Pearl Harbour. This book is incredibly eye-opening, and manages to capture Takei's story through his child's eyes, with a sense of adventure and wonder. The way his parents found their own ways to defy their appalling treatment, while protecting their children from the reality, is beautifully and poignantly told. Takei's an inspiring man and this should be compulsory reading in schools.

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sleepylit's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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