Posts Tagged As / Press
Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature
“In this moving graphic novel, George Takei shares his childhood experience growing up in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. During that time, the loyalty of Japanese Americans was questioned, they were unlawfully detained, racism was legalized, they were threatened with deportation, and subjected to other de-humanizing situations. Takei recounts his family’s imprisonment from a child’s perspective, including the confusion and fear of leaving their home at a moment’s notice. He depicts the long-term effects that internment had on his parents, his struggle to fully understand what they went through once he reached adulthood, and how his experiences propelled him into a career in acting and fighting injustice through social activism. The committee found that this graphic novel has significant historical value and it is a perfect fit among resources in the Asian American culture due to current immigration controversy.”
School Library Journal (Starred Review)
“This evocative memoir shares stories of the nation’s past, draws heartbreaking parallels to the present, and serves as a cautionary tale for the future. For all readers old enough to understand the importance of our collective history.”
Amazon Best Books of the Month
“Emotionally staggering… They Called Us Enemy also inspires readers to engage through democracy to insist that we treat fellow human beings with fairness and dignity.”
The Washington Post
“Riveting… Takei has evolved into an increasingly powerful voice for oppressed communities, and They Called Us Enemy finds him at peak moral clarity – an unflinching force in these divisive times.”
The New York Times
“A detailed, wrenching account… They Called Us Enemy should prove the most potent introduction for younger readers to this ignoble chapter in our history.”
THE COMICS JOURNAL
“A highly readable graphic novel treatment of the internment of Japanese Americans, giving a new generation of young readers a striking example of what the United States is capable of, told from the perspective of someone who personally suffered from that injustice… in a more vivid, first-person account than textbooks and lectures can ever achieve.”
An ALA Notable Children’s Book for Older Readers
ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb/ncbpastlists/ncb_2020