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miocyon's review against another edition
4.0
Another possible Common Book. I can't believe I hadn't ever read this account of being in the Japanese Internment camps. A little simplistic, and I couldn't get into the art, but interesting. Certainly a fast read, and with recent talk about possible Muslim internment, certainly something to talk about.
kaylabjohnson's review against another edition
4.0
I read Citizen 13660 as part of a course I’m taking on the main currents of American culture since 1865. I enjoyed reading it because it gave me so much insight into a period I have never learned much about-- in high school, Japanese internment was pretty much glossed over, and I never learned the details of what day-to-day life was like for the Japanese Americans held there or what their reactions to it were.
The book includes drawings and writing created by Mine Okubo depicting the harsh realities of Japanese internment, as well as how Japanese Americans sought to endure and overcome their condition, whether that be through beautifying their surroundings, creating art, and entertaining themselves with sports, or simply raising their families to the best of their abilities.
In our class, we discussed the issue of World War II being depicted as the American "good war," which was supposedly being waged to eradicate fascism and uphold democracy as a superior and moral global standard. However, the fact that American citizens and residents were held against their will in these camps, often in squalid conditions, was the exact opposite of this imagined democracy and tolerance and revealed how hypocritical the United States was in its war aims.
It is interesting to think of the paradox of these people having to prove their loyalty and patriotism to the country while being treated like prisoners and second-class citizens. How could they rationalize this? How did they explain to their children why their government kept them enclosed like animals in a zoo but expected them to fight to defend it? This book grapples with that contradiction, as well as what it means to be a loyal American, in a very subtle way that made it fascinating.
Overall, I thought it was a very profound look into a subject that isn’t discussed often, at least in my experience. My professor brought up the importance of reading between the lines, especially in cases where Okubo’s light and nondescript writing contrasts with the stark emotionality of her artwork. At times, you wish she would outright condemn the conditions or rashly scrutinize those in power. Looking through the lens of WWII propaganda, the need to avoid extremism for Okubo’s work to gain a mass audience that largely resented the Japanese, and the simultaneous desire to critique governmental mistreatment and hypocrisy, make it a lot richer of an account than you might expect at first.
The book includes drawings and writing created by Mine Okubo depicting the harsh realities of Japanese internment, as well as how Japanese Americans sought to endure and overcome their condition, whether that be through beautifying their surroundings, creating art, and entertaining themselves with sports, or simply raising their families to the best of their abilities.
In our class, we discussed the issue of World War II being depicted as the American "good war," which was supposedly being waged to eradicate fascism and uphold democracy as a superior and moral global standard. However, the fact that American citizens and residents were held against their will in these camps, often in squalid conditions, was the exact opposite of this imagined democracy and tolerance and revealed how hypocritical the United States was in its war aims.
It is interesting to think of the paradox of these people having to prove their loyalty and patriotism to the country while being treated like prisoners and second-class citizens. How could they rationalize this? How did they explain to their children why their government kept them enclosed like animals in a zoo but expected them to fight to defend it? This book grapples with that contradiction, as well as what it means to be a loyal American, in a very subtle way that made it fascinating.
Overall, I thought it was a very profound look into a subject that isn’t discussed often, at least in my experience. My professor brought up the importance of reading between the lines, especially in cases where Okubo’s light and nondescript writing contrasts with the stark emotionality of her artwork. At times, you wish she would outright condemn the conditions or rashly scrutinize those in power. Looking through the lens of WWII propaganda, the need to avoid extremism for Okubo’s work to gain a mass audience that largely resented the Japanese, and the simultaneous desire to critique governmental mistreatment and hypocrisy, make it a lot richer of an account than you might expect at first.
bleigh05's review against another edition
4.0
In Citizen 13660, Mine Okubo documents her experience in Japanese internment camps. Told objectively, she illustrates how horrid and dehumanizing the living conditions were for Japanese citizens imprisoned in these camps. While her writing does not reflect how she personally felt about her experiences, the pictures tell a different story. When she writes about experiences like little access to drinkable water or being forced out of her home, she draws herself with a grimace or sorrowful eyes. Okubo's account is an important piece of American history that shows what happens when fear and prejudice grip a society. In the preface to the 1983 edition Okubo writes " I am often asked, why am I not bitter and could this happen again? I am a realist with a creative mind, interested in people, so my thoughts are constructive. I am not bitter. I hope that things can be learned from this tragic episode, for I believe it could happen again."
anitaconchita's review against another edition
4.0
Very touching and sad documentary style graphic novel about Japanese internment. Informative and also rather subversive in some of its visual storytelling. Great text to teach WWII Japanese-American history with.
kitkatpanicattack's review against another edition
challenging
informative
fast-paced
3.5
so why don't we teach or talk about this book?
note: read for ENGL 389R - American Literature after 1800
note: read for ENGL 389R - American Literature after 1800