In They Called Us Enemy George Takei tells the story of his internment during World War 2. With his parents, brother Henry and sister Nancy, he was in two separate camps during the war. Because his parents were so-called no-nos, they were moved to another camp for Japanese Americans who said no to the questions whether they wanted to fight for the USA, and whether they would pledge their allegiance to the USA. As Mrs Takei was born in the USA, she never had any allegiance to the Japanese emperor. Mr Takei was born in Japan, but moved to the States in his teens, the USA wouldn’t grant him citizenship (like all Asians). And this was the reason they voted no-no. George went on to be an activist, and of course a famous actor.
The art was done by artist Harmony Becker.
I’ve read about the internment of the Japanese Americans before and was appalled- still am. This book was a good read – its format makes the memoir more interesting!
Read for the Read Between the Lines Reading Challenge 2025
Prompt 29: A Different Format than Your Normal Books (Audiobook, Manga, eBook)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
