Steven Scott

George Takei

Justin Eisinger

George Takei has captured hearts and minds worldwide with his captivating stage presence and outspoken commitment to equal rights. But long before he braved new frontiers in Star Trek, he woke up as a four-year-old boy to find his own birth country at war with his father's--and their entire family forced from their home into an uncertain future. In a stunning graphic memoir, Takei revisits his haunting childhood in American concentration camps, as one of over 100,000 Japanese Americans imprisoned by the U.S. government during World War II. Experience the forces that shaped an American icon--and America itself--in this gripping tale of courage, country, loyalty, and love.

They Called Us Enemy

A stunning graphic memoir recounting actor/author/activist George Takei's childhood imprisoned within American concentration camps during World War II. Experience the forces that shaped an American icon -- and America itself -- in this gripping tale of courage, country, loyalty, and love. George Takei has captured hearts and minds worldwide with his captivating stage presence and outspoken commitment to equal rights. But long before he braved new frontiers in Star Trek, he woke up as a four-year-old boy to find his own birth country at war with his father's -- and their entire family forced from their home into an uncertain future. In 1942, at the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, every person of Japanese descent on the west coast was rounded up and shipped to one of ten "relocation centers," hundreds or thousands of miles from home, where they would be held for years under armed guard. They Called Us Enemy is Takei's firsthand account of those years behind barbed wire, the joys and terrors of growing up under legalized racism, his mother's hard choices, his father's faith in democracy, and the way those experiences planted the seeds for his astonishing future. What is American? Who gets to decide? When the world is against you, what can one person do? To answer these questions, George Takei joins co-writers Justin Eisinger & Steven Scott and artist Harmony Becker for the journey of a lifetime.

Isabella 

i cried while reading this. full of heartbreaking moments. a very powerful read. i loved the illustrations; it captured the dark days they were facing while showing the innocence of their childhood. an incredible memoir.

This graphic novel/memoir explores the plight during WWII of men, women, and children of Asian decent who were herded into internment camps for no other reason than their race.  George Takei's family were forced to live in stables built for horses and hot shacks with few amenities.  Takei's pride show when he relates things about his father, who was often chosen as leader where ever they lived.  George and his family experience many forms of prejudice, sometimes delivered by their own people.  Also, George shares his joy at being chosen to star in the television series Star Trek and the subsequent feature films, but it is clear that the emphasis of this story is the injustice he experienced.  Overall, They Call Us Enemy is an eye-opening book that is well worth the read.

Lynn Braden

Lara Engle

A clear, concise, and beautifully written and illustrated memoir, They Called Us Enemy shares George Takei's experiences of internment and his later involvement with the civil rights movement. It's also a touching tribute to his parents and their work to do what was right for their family, their heritage, and their human rights.

Japanese internment camps are a very dark period of American history that is not talked about enough (or at all). The book is a great introduction to the hardships that the internees endured. And reading it from the childhood perspective of someone so well known, who is only 86, kept sharply reminding me how recent these events really were. 

Michelle Hruby

Irem

Benim gibi WW2 zamanındaki Japon-Amerikalıların hapsedilmesine ve yaşadıklarına yabancıysanız konuya güzel bir giriş olur. George Takei (aka Sulu) dikenli tellerin arkasında geçen kendi çocukluğundan başlayarak bütün süreci aktarıyor. Sadece kendi dönemiyle de sınırlı kalmıyor. Sonlara doğru günümüzde Meksikalıları ve müslümanları hedef alan günümüz göç politikasıyla geçmiş arasındaki kurduğu paralelliği de çok sevdim. Sadece bir noktadan sonra yükselen Amerikan vatenseverliği biraz fazla kör gözüne parmak gibiydi. Onun dışında çok beğendim.

renee badenoch

An excellent graphic novel telling George Takei’s personal experiences in the Japanese internment camps. The book also intersperses a lot of historical facts about the politics and legal procedures that went into the internment. This book was both informative and moving, at times to the point of being heart breaking. The drawings were simple and clear. Despite the simpleness of the artwork, it did not 
detract from its evocativeness.

Tilde C

An incredible document, historic and enraging. The candid, unpresumptous narration of Takei tells a story of childhood innocence and naivety, the dilemma of bowing to or rebelling against an unjust system when you have everything to lose, the processes of radicalisation. and the conflicting feelings of loving your country when that country wanted you dead or deported. It also draw lines to today's American politics, though alas Trump's racist politics have only gotten more horrendous since this book was sent to press.

I was particularly moved by Takei's mother, who with her broken English and sewing machine did everything in her power to keep her family safe. Becker's art is simple and straightforward, complimenting Takei's equally straight-forward narration.

Ashley Wendt

3.75
I liked most of this. The last part of this graphic memoir, was unnecessary propaganda.

Ken Yuen

Pretty great telling of George Takei's story. An important historical story that has direct parallels to modern times. While I had a vague idea of the horrors of the Japanese imprisonment, it feels totally different to hear the story from someone directly affected by the experience. Recommend it to anyone who has any appreciation of history.

Leia Douglas

It’s embarrassing how little I know about Japanese American history considering I am Japanese American. This graphic novel was heartbreaking, but hopeful, and definitely opened my eyes to what Japanese Americans before me had to face. It has definitely changed the way I think.

Zoë Schaefer

I've always wanted to learn about how Japanese people felt about the internment - incarceration - camps during this time, and I'm so, so, so glad that I picked this up.

Caroline Lewicki

I truly feel that there are some histories you have to hear from someone's firsthand experience. George Takei's childhood spent in Japanese American internment camps is one of those histories. The pictures in this graphic novel are beautiful and often heart wrenching. His story is marvelously told and the experience of Japanese Americans in WW2 is so gracefully told. At the end of the novel, he connects his own experiences to those of Muslim Americans and Mexican Americans, and immigrants, in such a beautiful and heartbreaking way. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes history, WW2 stories, or just amazingly done graphic novels.

Elena

4/5 stars

- Went really quick through the history
- a little confusing at times
- told the history pretty good
- loved the art work

Sahi K

I was just randomly browsing when I came across this book and I realized I hadn’t read it despite admiring George Takei as an activist and outspoken defender of civil rights. So I thought why not pick it up right away. 

While it is the story of George’s childhood in the Japanese internment camps in WW2, what makes this more powerful is seeing the juxtaposition between the anguish and devastation his parents feel with his and his brother’s tales of adventure. He was an innocent who didn’t realize that living inside a fenced camp wasn’t normal and that the country where he, his siblings and his mother were born had declared them “enemy aliens” for no fault of their own except their ancestry. His memories maybe more heartwarming but he does include how humiliating it must have been for his parents and all the other 120,000 Japanese Americans who were first labeled enemies, but then asked to plead allegiance to their captors and also fight for them as soldiers. It’s truly a shameful and hypocritical part of history which highlights how America has at various times in the past failed to live up to its ideals. 

Despite all the horrors though, George’s parents are the heroes of this story. His mother ensures her kids are safe and feel as normal as possible during all the years, even sacrificing her principles to keep the family together. His father on the other hand takes a leadership role within the camps, helping everyone else navigate that life and do whatever he can to solve their problems. I found his wisdom and strength incomparable because despite all his hardships and being treated so horrifically by his country, he never loses his faith in the guiding principles of American democracy and I can see where George got all his ideals from and why he has become such a prolific activist. What did surprise me was that Earl Warren (future Supreme Court Chief Justice) was an early instigator of prejudice against Japanese Americans and a supporter of the internment camps. I had only known him as the person whose famously known “Warren Court” was one of the most liberal ever and delivered historical judgements like Brown v. Board of Education and Loving v. Virginia. FDR died before the war was over but I wonder if Warren ever regretted the choices he made during that time. 

Overall, this is definitely a memoir that needs to be read, to learn about one of the dark periods of American history. The art style is simple and the content may seem may feel sanitized, but that’s because it’s mostly told from the POV of a child and I think that’s why this makes for a perfect read for children, a way for them to know their history in an understandable manner.

Madhuri Gubbala

I heard a little about George Takei’s childhood experiences from his speech at my alma mater once. This graphic novel captures and conveys a whole lot more about the details of mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. Highly admire Takei’s work towards social justice, lgbtq+ rights and in general his positive spirit. Reading this book just doubled that for me. It’s an informative and emotional read, highly recommend.

Yoomi

I would recommend this for middle grade and up. Adults too. Because it’s important that we look at our history, even the ugly parts, and learn so that we don’t make the same mistakes.

Lily D

3.5

This was a great book!! Definitely would recommend to people wanting to know more about this topic.

Katy B

Such a great read. Early on in the reading I was thinking this would be a great companion read to Fred Korematsu Speaks up where you can hear two similar perspectives, but one in print form with illustrations and one in graphic novel format. When Fred made an appearance at the end of the graphic novel I got excited to see him tied into this book as well. A perfect pairing of two middle grade books written about Japanese interment for anyone interested in learning more about them.

They Called Us Enemy

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