From the Bookshelf of Diversity in All Forms!…

They Called Us Enemy

George Takei,

Justin Eisinger

Start date: October 1, 2019

Finish date: October 30, 2019

Discussion: Monthly Group Reads

Why we're reading this: The diversity topic we cover in October is race/ethnicity.

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
[close] The diversity topic we cover in October is race/ethnicity.

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

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What Members Thought

Oct 08, 2019 Josh Caporale rated it it was amazing

George Takei has established himself as an actor, but his most notable role was clearly as Lt. Hikaru Sulu (eventually Lt. Commander and Captain) in the Star Trek television series and six feature films. He has since made something out of this platform, but most notably to bring attention to social issues and in particular those of Japanese heritage (as Takei, pronounced "Tah-kay," rhyming with "okay," and not "Tah-kai, like rhyming with "eye," was a Japanese-American) and LGBTQ+ rights, as Take George Takei has established himself as an actor, but his most notable role was clearly as Lt. Hikaru Sulu (eventually Lt. Commander and Captain) in the Star Trek television series and six feature films. He has since made something out of this platform, but most notably to bring attention to social issues and in particular those of Japanese heritage (as Takei, pronounced "Tah-kay," rhyming with "okay," and not "Tah-kai, like rhyming with "eye," was a Japanese-American) and LGBTQ+ rights, as Takei is openly gay and happily married to his partner, Brad. In They Called Us Enemy, Takei brings attention to his childhood, which took place during the Second World War and in particular during a time when Franklin D. Roosevelt and his administration forced what turned out being roughly 120,000 Japanese residents, citizens or not, into concentration camps on the basis that they feared there were traitors among them.

They Called Us Enemy is a graphic text, with the images drawn by Harmony Becker. The story itself was co-written with Takei by Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott. While there are moments where the story transitions to different time periods when Takei feels it necessary, the story follows a general sequence. We begin with Takei being born and the births of his younger brother, Henry, and his younger sister, Nancy Reiko, but shortly thereafter we are told of when the Japanese-American citizens are restricted with where they can go, given curfews, segregated among the general population, and then eventually forced to evacuate into concentration camps. They are first placed in an immediate camp and then sent to Rohwer in Arkansas. This sense of restriction and eventually a loss of freedom mirrors what the Jewish people in Nazi occupied territory had to endure and to say that the Americans were fighting against this, it showed a great sense of contradiction. Takei is fair in his depiction of the guards in how they take in mediating intense action among the unruly and the protestors and laugh or shrug off the mischief of the kids, where as the guards in Nazi occupied territories would just shoot and kill them. This is not to say what happened here is unfair, because it certainly was, but it was an interesting observation.

Throughout the story, Takei tells us about how he viewed his experience as a child, the tests of citizenship that the Japanese-American citizens had to go through, and eventually whether or not they wanted to remain citizens. As the story concludes, Takei tells us about his rise to fame, but the best part is that he does not make this the area of concentration to his piece and any mention of his rise to fame is tied into the major idea about his ancestry and how he affected the way in which he grew up.

One of the greatest strengths of this graphic text is how when I was reading this story, I felt a great sense that this was the story of how a Japanese-American family on the west coast was affected by the Second World War and placed in a concentration camp. George Takei did not make this the story of a celebrity, but made it as if it could be any person that took any path following their experience within the camps. I have always found Takei to be a wise, well-spoken, clever, and delightful individual and he definitely does this with his autobiographical graphic text. He incorporates just the right balance of general occurrences within his experiences at Rohwer and Tule Lake with the serious moments that were crucial to his story and the story of several other Japanese-American citizens. Every person took a different path and it only reflects the fact that being American does not take on a physical appearance, but instead it takes on the embodiment of an idea and the way in which an individual or individuals chooses to exercise the opportunities that its country presents to citizens born within the country and immigrants looking to embrace the country's ideas and become and produce citizens of their own.

They Called Us Enemy is a story that I am going to remember for a long, long time. Autobiographical pieces and memoirs have the tendency to turn me off due to the ghost writing strings that seem to tangle up the authenticity like spider webs, but this was so authentic and a joy to read that it did not matter if the person writing this was a renowned celebrity or just a person and their experience. It just so happened that George Takei ended up being the former. They Called Us Enemy will rightfully find itself in the canon at some point in time it is THAT amazing! ...more

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Sep 27, 2019 Kate rated it really liked it

This is George Takei’s biography in the form of a graphic novel. It primarily focuses on his childhood experience in the Japanese interment camps in the 1940s. An interesting story and a part of history of which I am not overly familiar.

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Jul 10, 2020 Joanne rated it it was amazing

Quite lovely and informative. Takei not only uses his platform and influence as “king of the internet according to Taco Bell” to be an amazing voice of activism for social justice, but now is teaching a whole new generation about the Japanese internment camps in this country during WWII. This one will rank among my favorite graphic novels. The drawings and voice of the kids being kids, and parents just trying to keep a sense of normalcy despite life in an internment camp is exceptional.

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