October 2019 BotM - They Called Us Enemy

[Mike, Host & Producer of IRCB!]

October's Book of the Month is They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker. What did you think of this memoir OGN?

Reminder: This discussion thread is FULL SPOILERS for They Called Us Enemy!

Tune in to the IRCB Podcast on Wednesday, October 30th to hear our discussion of this book. If it's ok to read your comments on the show, please post them before October 27th and include "OK TO AIR" in your post!

[Daniel]

OK to Air

I am very Glad we are doing this book, I recommended this after reading it for out Local comic book club in September (actually read it for 2 different discussions)

I do not normally read non fiction, and this was definitely an experience. Although we discuss WW2 and Pearl Harbor in school, this part of history is often overlooked or not discussed. The book manages to disseminate the information in a very clear way, via George Takei's POV and memories a child. Alo t of the more darker themes or events are more easily digestible because of the story coming from a child and how they would respond to certain situations.
I really liked the back and forth in the narrative between current day events in George's life and the memories of his time at the camps.
Also, the art and the fact that it is on black and white help along to focus on the story.
I believe this is an important book and as the end of the book it connects to events relevant to out times. I would like to have a book like this available for people to take time and learn.

Looking forward to see what our hosts discuss during the episode.

[Machteld]

Just read they called us enemy. Never knew anything about this part of US history. Which is shocking (the not knowing part).

[Lenny]

I was deeply moved by They Called Us Enemy. As a student, I never learned about the internment camps (shame on our educational system) and only had cursory knowledge as an adult.

Takei's memoir feels deeply personal. I liked how Takei (and his writing partners) mostly focus on his childhood experience, but intermittently 'zoom out' to focus on political developments, how he processed his experiences with his father as a teen, and using his platform as a celebrity to tell his story. I found the strongest and most affective moments were Takei's reflections on his parents and what they went through. As a child Takei was shielded from the humiliation, shame, and terrible choices his parents had to make - and yet they went to extraordinary lengths to try to give their children as good a life as possible, considering the terrible circumstances.

Harmony Becker's manga style was gorgeous and, like all great manga, minimalist and expressive. I'm sure this style was an intentional choice as a Japanese art form.

As others have mentioned this memoir could not be more timely - and Takei doesn't shy away from how we are making the same mistakes once again, resulting in traumatizing hundreds of children and families. He draws a clear line between racist and dehumanizing policies (calling out the politicians by name, so history remembers them) and how they irrevocably impacted his family, a powerful commentary for children at the southern border today who don't have a voice. I'm grateful that Takei is using his platform to share his story and created this graphic memoir along with his creative team. It is truly a must read for every American and I hope upper grade educators make it part of their curricula.

OK to air (along with anything in my full review) - looking forward to hearing the podcast!

[Ed]

Ok to air.

I am already pretty familiar with the history, so not sure whether I need to read this right now. Can you convince me otherwise?

Of course, there are many, many details I don't know. Learned a new one a few days ago in a book of ghost stories. At least one of the internment camps was on an Indian reservations, specifically in the Colorado River Indian Reservation in Arizona.

According to This Book, some trains would bring in wood (since not much grows there), and other trains would bring in the internees, in boxcars. They internees had to construct their own barracks from the wood. After the Japanese were allowed to leave, the Indians were allowed to keep and use the buildings. Some were torn down and converted into houses and a school gymnasium. Since some people died during internment, there are at least some people who think those buildings are haunted.

According to another website, the "Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs" came up with this idea as a way to get money to make improvements on the land, especially including irrigation.

[Lenny]

Hi Ed! I think that's a fair question since all of us who have reviewed (so far) didn't know the details of this history. In my opinion, the book is still worthwhile because, even though it provides a general history, it's not meant to be a historical book. It is an emotional and personal memoir of Takei's childhood experience in the internment camps, how it affected his family and altered their lives forever. I believe everyone needs to read this book, regardless of prior knowledge, to empathize with the humans behind the history. To make it personal for us too. And perhaps there will be some facts about the camps and the Takei family's journey that will be new knowledge for you regardless.

[Tom]

Is this book connected to Mr. Takei's Broadway show Allegiance? It sounds like it covers the same material.

[Phil]

I haven't started reading this one yet. A few years ago I read another book on this topic, Gaijin: American Prisoner of War. Thought I would through it out there in case anyone wanted to read another take on those events.

[Nancy]

I have been a fan of George Takei for years, as his character of Lieutenant Commander (later Captain) Hikaru Sulu of Star Trek was one of my favorite TOS crew members. I have admired his civil and LGBTQ+ rights advocacy and have followed his popular Oh Myyy Facebook site for years. So it was a no-brainer that I was going to pick up his debut graphic novel, and it was a bonus was that it was this month’s selection for Goodread’s I Read Comic Books.

In the same vein of the March trilogy by John Lewis, this book takes a long hard look at America’s shameful secret of forcing Japenese Americans into internment camps during World War II. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, there was mass hysteria that people of Japenese ancestry would be loyal to Imperial Japan and attack our mainland. President Franklin Roosevelt forced the relocation and incarceration of about 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, most of whom lived on the Pacific Coast. George Takei and his family were one of these families.

George was a young boy when he, his parents and a younger brother and sister were forced from their Los Angeles home and sent to the first of two camps that they would spend three years in. They lost their house and dry cleaning business and endured humiliation after humiliation. That Takei and his siblings were so young, they did not fully understand the ramifications of their relocation, whereas his parents were the ones who had to deal with the daily legalized racism of these camps. In fact, Takei found some pleasure during those years as his parents worked hard to shelter their children and normalize their upbringing as best as they could. But these years also helped shape him into the leader he is today, for he learned about courage, leadership and activism from both his parents who made hard decisions in that time period.

Although this memoir concentrates on a retelling of his family’s time in the camps, Takei does take time to give a larger picture of what was happening in the world before, during and after his incarceration. He names some key political figures who pushed for these camps, but also extends grace to those that helped fight the injustice. It is a great irony that President Roosevelt, who helped the country out of the Great Depression and has many other laurels to stand on, was the one who signed orders for thousands of American citizens and/or residents to be sent to these internment camps. No wonder there was little mention of them in my history books growing up, for while we can condemn other countries for gross injustices, our country had taken away the liberty, finances and dignity of a segment of our population just because they were of a certain nationality. And this story sadly has a parallel today, as President Trump had set up camps for families trying to immigrate from Mexico, and has been blatant about his prejudices against people he does not deem American enough.

Harmony Becker was a perfect choice to illustrate this graphic novel, for her evocative black and white drawings were historically accurate, and brought to life daily camp realities, showing both the good and bad from a child’s perspective. In fact, some of her drawings slid into an anime-style when George and his siblings were experiencing joy. This not only was a great way to show their emotions, but it is also a nod towards Japanese culture. That Becker is #ownvoices elevates the story, for her talent and cultural sensitivity go hand in hand. I also wish to mention co-writers Steven Scott and Justin Eisinger, who helped shape the narrative into a strong lesson for us all. Takei and his team deserve major kudos for shining a light on issues from the past so that way we learn from them today. (This review can also be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2019/10/1...) *Ok to air

[Kirsten]

This is beautifully done graphic novel. I love that it was all in black & white.

I did know this history. Years ago, I read Takei's memoir To the Stars which covered a lot of this. This is a very important book especially now with the human rights violations sadly done by our own country.

I am so glad we have someone like Takei in our country to speak truth to power.

[JT]

ok to air

George Takei takes us to a place that I never wanted to visit, but I am glad that he did. Reading the horrifying events that took place during World War 2 made me disgusted that there was a time when people thought this was the right thing to do. Young George and his family were among the 120,000 people forced to leave their home and move to an American Japanese concentration camp. In this camp they were held for years and were under armed guard the entire time. Geroge grew up with barbed wires, meal limitations, curfew, etc. And unfortunately, he eventually thought this was the way of life.

I can never imagine living a life like what was described in this graphic novel. I appreciate everything good that happened to me and that's including the bad as well. George took a horrible situation and made something out of it. With his success he was able to tell his story and inspire many people including myself. I was not educated with this event during my time in school, but I am motivated to learn more about it. There was a small part in the story where Dr King was mentioned and introduced. I know Dr. King symbolizes equality for all, but it was refreshing to see an Asian man inspired by the great Dr. King.

I enjoyed this book very much. The art was almost juvenile which was very fitting with the perspective of a young innocent Geroge telling the story. I cannot wait to start recommending this book for all time.

[Adam]

Tom wrote: "Is this book connected to Mr. Takei's Broadway show Allegiance? It sounds like it covers the same material."

Yes, they are related and he even touches on the creation and Broadway run of Allegiance. Having not seen the show, I cannot say with certainty that they exactly the same, but this was also an incredibly personal and reflective book while the show, I believe, deals in slightly broader terms.

[Adam]

-Ok to Air-

I have had trouble keeping up with my reading goal this year, but I was not going to miss this book and this month here. I had heard a lot about this book and I had heard bits and pieces of George Takei's personal story, so I've been interested for a while in the whole tale of his childhood.

This is an incredibly important moment in American history because it's so rarely talked about and it couldn't be more relevant right now.

Takei and his co-writers make this an accessible and approachable history lesson because we see it as both a child and a man looking back. The narrative is constructed to allow a grown George to tell us about his childhood and reflect on how it was so difficult for his parents and all they did to protect him and his siblings. The childhood innocence that colored his memories is juxtaposed with the clarity of time and having been able to process those experience through conversations with his father as he grew up. This becomes important as he points out that so many people who survived that time we unwilling or unable to talk about it after.

This is an important historical piece, it's incredibly personal and while the subject is difficult, the text is incredibly easy to read. This was a one-sitting book for me because I couldn't put it down. It's a story that pulls you all the way in even if it's because it's so hard to believe that this was real and recent. This isn't ancient history. I hope we learn something from this man's life.

[Tom]

Adam wrote: "Tom wrote: "Is this book connected to Mr. Takei's Broadway show Allegiance? It sounds like it covers the same material."

Yes, they are related and he even touches on the creation and Broadway run ..."

Thanks Adam. Now that I was finally able to read it, I noted the inclusion of the play in the memoir.

[Tom]

I knew that the Japanese internment had happened and could describe it in very broad strokes, but that does not does not begin to do the event justice. So like others here, it was a learning experience for me to read this book. I think I was most impressed by George's father - how he could acknowledge FDR's work to alleviate the Great Depression but yet incarcerate Japanese Americans. But yet he could not bear to meet Eleanor Roosevelt face to face.

The courage his parents had to deal with this adversity continues to amaze me, and even more so how they shielded their children from the worst of it and were not radicalized themselves.

Yay that Brad got into the book!

As notes toward the end, fear and hate are rearing their ugly heads again, ready to repeat the injustices detailed in the book. I can only hope our better nature will overcome, but fear it will not.

For some reason I recall an NPR report on food in the Japanese internment, specifically weenie royale. There are also related articles/pictures at the link provided.

Edited to add: I also liked the way he (to me) showed the importance of Star Trek. Where non-white characters could be something other than servants and villains. And of course, the fencing scene was included.

[Francis]

Tremendous, I was prepared for this book to be earnest, but perhaps sub par in terms of narrative and in comparison to other biographic graphic novels. This was no such thing, the crafting of this story was superb, and the creative team did a wonderful job of putting George Takei's experiences into comic book form.

I was particularly pleased to see the comparisons drawn between Internment of Japanese-Americans and the current situation on the border with Mexico, the current dehumanisation of refugees and migrants across the U.S. and Europe has such chilling parallels with the darkest moments in history and it was good to see the way this book showed that even people with the best of intentions can be caught up in nationalist fervour even when perhaps the it goes against our better judgment.

Ok to air.