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A review by spinesinaline
Displacement by Kiku Hughes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A really informational and emotional read. And grateful for the author's references so I can do more reading! Thanks to Taylor for her review that got this book on my radar!
This graphic novel is inspired by the author’s research into her own family so much of it is pulled from personal facts and conversations, though with a slight fantastical spin.
The author is actually a character in the book (the young girl in the foreground of the cover)! Kiku is on vacation with her mom in San Francisco when she finds herself “displaced” to the 1940s. The displacements continue happening until Kiku is stuck in the past, forced into the same internment camp as her grandmother, and able to learn firsthand about this history she’s been taught so little about.
I really appreciated this firsthand account as there’s so much of even the little details of this history that I’m unfamiliar with. The displacements act as a very obvious way for Kiku to relate to her grandmother, in the actual act of being taken away from her life, and it was helpful to understand the camps through her eyes and with her commentary on how little she is prepared for it, and ignorant of what’s coming, because of her limited education on the history.
It’s an emotional and powerful story that Hughes ties in nicely to present-day American policies, and I’m very grateful for all the resources she shares at the end so I can continue learning!
This graphic novel is inspired by the author’s research into her own family so much of it is pulled from personal facts and conversations, though with a slight fantastical spin.
The author is actually a character in the book (the young girl in the foreground of the cover)! Kiku is on vacation with her mom in San Francisco when she finds herself “displaced” to the 1940s. The displacements continue happening until Kiku is stuck in the past, forced into the same internment camp as her grandmother, and able to learn firsthand about this history she’s been taught so little about.
I really appreciated this firsthand account as there’s so much of even the little details of this history that I’m unfamiliar with. The displacements act as a very obvious way for Kiku to relate to her grandmother, in the actual act of being taken away from her life, and it was helpful to understand the camps through her eyes and with her commentary on how little she is prepared for it, and ignorant of what’s coming, because of her limited education on the history.
It’s an emotional and powerful story that Hughes ties in nicely to present-day American policies, and I’m very grateful for all the resources she shares at the end so I can continue learning!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Islamophobia, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Terminal illness