They Called Us Enemy

"I can’t express enough how amazing this story is. "

"It was a hard read for me especially because of our current state of affairs. I feel like this has given me a lot to think about."

"<strong>Good read</strong><br/><br/>This needs taught more. I was well into adulthood before even discovering that this had happened in America and that is not ok!"

"I loved this. The art work was really well drawn and adorable with the families and children's expressions and loveliness. I do not remember learning about concentration camps that were held in America during WWII in history class in school. I'm pretty sure one of my friends had mentioned America had its own form of camps during WWII but that was all that was mentioned to me back then. <br/><br/>This was a great way to learn just a small peice of American history during such a devasting time. My heart swelled with joy when the children adapted so well during the worst time of their childhood. His parents worked so hard just to have everything they had built for their family to be fully taken away. I was so happy to hear his grandparents had survived the bombings but was quite saddened to hear what happened to his aunt and cousin.<br/><br/> I can't help but think maybe moving to Salt Lake city with his uncle would have been a bit better than their return to California. I definitely agree as a child seeing the homeless on the streets of any city is traumatizing but living amongst them is heart wrenching for the families who had to start their lives from scratch. It definitely makes you think as an American and where you stand with your beliefs that you can make a difference and should fight for what you believe in. You never know when one day it could all be taken away from you in an instance."

"This was a quick read but well worth the time! I’ve been a long time fan of George Takei, both from his role on Star Trek and also for his activism. I also am an avid Broadway fan, so I wanted to read this after listening to George’s work on the musical Allegiance, which addresses some of the same complex themes of democracy and what it means to be an “American enemy” despite being an American. <br/><br/>I highly recommend this, as despite the decades that have passed, there is still much represented here that applies to the social issues we experience today. George says it much better, but in order to prevent history repeating itself, we must look unflinchingly into the darker parts. But while there is darkness, there is also joy, and this graphic novel was heartening for its depiction of childlike joy even in the darkest of times."

"required read for school. kept me entertained despite the fact I don't like graphic novels."

"I really wish we weren't living in a time when progress is viewed as an attack on tradition. Traditions that hurt people need to die a violent death. Let them die. Beautiful story. Sad and tragic and outrageously cruel but beautiful and important story."

"This is a wonderful graphic novel that follows George Takei throughout his life, particularly when he and his family were forced into interment camps after the events of Pearl Harbor. I’ve never been a fan of Star Trek and didn’t know who George Takei until a few weeks ago, but I found myself growing attached to him and his family throughout the duration of this and anticipating for their situation to get better. It was interesting to see how people still managed to function in the interment camps despite the fact that things were no longer normal for them, and the part where George met his dad’s secretary again warmed my heart as did many other aspects of the story. I would recommend it for everybody, and reading it was a great start for 2022."

"This is my first graphic novel and I cannot say enough about it. It is such an accessible account of life in a Japanese internment camp, it should be required reading in schools for all young Americans. Truth: I have never seen Star Trek, so George Takei is only familiar to me because of all of his social works, but his fame gives him a great opportunity to share this important, overlooked part of American history with the masses."

"This is so deep and poignant that it gets difficult to read in parts. It should honestly be read by every single American. How can we be better as a country if we don't face our mistakes and vow to not repeat them? I would give this 10 stars if I could."