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A review by merle_bookdragon
Displacement by Kiku Hughes
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Displacement tells the story, or rather part of the story, of the Japanese Americans that were detained in incarceration camps by the Americans following the attack on Pearl Habor. The author Kiku Hughes follows her own family roots in this semi autobiographical story.
We follow the main character Kiku, who gets "displaced" multiple times throughout the story. She experiences memory flashbacks loosely following the trail of her grandma, who was detained in the camps with her parents.
The third time Kiku "travels back through memory" she seemingly stays for numerous month in the memory and experiences the camps for herself. She learns that much of what she learned through school and her mom was incorrect or falsified, but most of what she experiences in camp is entirely new to her because the events are barely talked about. Both by the American administration to cover up their crimes but also by the Nikkei community itself.
When Kiku returns to reality only a few minutes seem to have passed and she speaks to her mom about her experience who admits that she went through the same experience when she was younger. The story is framed by TV news of Donald Trump running for president and the announcement and coverage of new regulations and detention camps affecting the Muslim and Latinx communities of the US.
This graphic novel is certainly not a light read but I still enjoyed it very much. It taught me (a German person) more about the camps than I ever learned before and while it was sad and heartbreaking most of the time, it was important too. I found this story through a university class I am taking about teaching literature at school and we discussed the applicability of this novel in a classroom environment. While I am not studying to become a teacher I would certainly recommend this graphic novel as it covers an important historical event in a very approachable manner. Both the art style and the language are simple enough to understand even for lower class students or English beginners while not taking anything away from the story itself.
We follow the main character Kiku, who gets "displaced" multiple times throughout the story. She experiences memory flashbacks loosely following the trail of her grandma, who was detained in the camps with her parents.
The third time Kiku "travels back through memory" she seemingly stays for numerous month in the memory and experiences the camps for herself. She learns that much of what she learned through school and her mom was incorrect or falsified, but most of what she experiences in camp is entirely new to her because the events are barely talked about. Both by the American administration to cover up their crimes but also by the Nikkei community itself.
When Kiku returns to reality only a few minutes seem to have passed and she speaks to her mom about her experience who admits that she went through the same experience when she was younger. The story is framed by TV news of Donald Trump running for president and the announcement and coverage of new regulations and detention camps affecting the Muslim and Latinx communities of the US.
This graphic novel is certainly not a light read but I still enjoyed it very much. It taught me (a German person) more about the camps than I ever learned before and while it was sad and heartbreaking most of the time, it was important too. I found this story through a university class I am taking about teaching literature at school and we discussed the applicability of this novel in a classroom environment. While I am not studying to become a teacher I would certainly recommend this graphic novel as it covers an important historical event in a very approachable manner. Both the art style and the language are simple enough to understand even for lower class students or English beginners while not taking anything away from the story itself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Confinement
Moderate: Gun violence