In observance of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month, this month’s pick was They Called Us Enemy, a graphic novel by Star Trek’s George Takei. The graphic novel portrays glimpses of Takei’s life growing up in America’s very own internment camps during world war 2 and his gradual realization of what was actually happening with Japanese Americans all over the United States of America.
The novel also briefly mentions of the similarities between what he went through and the incarceration of undocumented hispanics that recently occured, Trump’s “Muslim Ban”, and other recent events. First and foremost, the novel is simply a retelling of what Takei went through as a child, not a historical account of events – although many things are mention, nothing is in great detail (which isn’t really the point).
Overall, very moving graphic novel, informative, and a reminder to America’s mistakes in pursuit of democracy for all. It is a very quick read; I highly recommend people to give it a read!