Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Displacement by Kiku Hughes

8 reviews

lizzy_elaineee's review

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dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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handful_of_frogs's review

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emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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carriepond's review

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challenging hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Displacement by Kiku Hughes is a graphic novel about a girl, Kiku, who is pulled back in time to the Japanese internment camps where her grandmother's family was forcibly relocated. Kiku's displacements are even more jarring juxtaposed with her present day, where then-President Trump and his Republican peers defend Muslim travel bans and family separation policies.

Hughes notes that she drew inspiration from Octavia Butler's Kindred, which I love. Though it doesn't match the genius of Butler's novel, Hughes deftly applies the forced time travel concept to explore the forcible relocation of her family and thousands of other American citizens, which isn't something that was discussed much (if at all) when I was a teen. I like how Hughes also ties the displacement to memory and familial connection, serving as a reclaiming of history that her family felt they had to abandon to gain acceptance and safety in the U.S.
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robinks's review

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challenging emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I had a feeling this book would be quite sad and informative about history, but I was surprised by the incorporation of current struggles and recognition of various forms of resistance. 
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sallytiffany's review

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dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Wow. This was a quick and engaging read. It helped me learn a lot of history and had a powerful message of generational trauma. I really loved this one. 
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brookey8888's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This is a really great graphic novel if you want an easier to digest history of the Japanese Camps. I did learn a lot and it also refreshed the knowledge I did have. At first I was confused about the going back in time but how the author tied that in was good. There was also LGBTQ+ representation. 
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peachmoni's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Wonderful story with a twist I didn't expect. The novel does a great job of tying together the plight of Japanese-Americans and others in the US, reminding us that we must fight not only for ourselves, but for others as well.
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spinesinaline's review against another edition

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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!
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