A review by redhairedashreads
They Called Us Enemy by Steven Scott, George Takei, Justin Eisinger

5.0

 
This was a very emotional and impactful graphic novel. I have been meaning to read this for a while now and was glad that I could read about this piece of history that was not included in the history books I had to read during school. 

This is the story of George Takei’s childhood in Japanese internment camps during World War II. While he was a child during this, he also pulls upon his parents and other adults perspectives and provides us with multiple perspectives to what happened. He takes us through the whole experience before, during, and after the camps and how the experience affected his family and other Japanese families. 

I am really glad I read this story because it gave me new information about what Executive Order 9066 was and how it affected Japanese people. As an American, I was never taught about this piece of history because our textbooks frequently ignore the negative parts of our history. This is one of the reasons why I have spent a lot of my adult life trying to educate myself about history that is not taught, especially when it comes to BIPOC. 
One of the best takeaways from this graphic was George’s urging Americans to learn about all sides of a story, not just the one that is being heavily pushed by politics. You need both sides of a story to create the best outcome for the future, not just one. 

This graphic memoir is definitely one that I think should be required reading in U.S. history courses and I highly recommend it.

TW: Depictions of anti-Japanese sentiment (Japanophobia), concentration camps, death of a child (briefly mentioned), death of relatives from atomic bombs and the war, grief, threat of deportation; 

 
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