In this dramatic and page-turning narrative history of Japanese Americans before, during, and after their World War II incarceration, Susan H. Kamei weaves the voices of over 130 individuals who lived through this tragic episode, most of them as young adults.Its difficult to believe it happened here, in the Land of the Free: After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, the United States government forcibly removed more than 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry from the Pacific Coast and imprisoned them in desolate detention camps until the end of World War II just because of their race. In what Secretary Norman Y. Mineta describes as a landmark book, he and others who lived through this harrowing experience tell the story of their incarceration and the long-term impact of this dark period in American history. For the first time, why and how these tragic events took place are interwoven with more than 130 individual voices of those who were unconstitutionally incarcerated, many of them children and young adults. Now more than ever, their words will resonate with readers who are confronting questions about racial identity, immigration, and citizenship, and what it means to be an American.

 

 

There are 736 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 2021 by Simon & Schuster .

Barry Denenberg is the author of many critically acclaimed biographies and nonfiction works. He has written on a wide range of people including Nelson Mandela, Charles Lindbergh, Jackie Robinson and Elvis Presley. His innovative books on Abraham Lincoln ( Lincoln Shot ), Muhammad Ali ( Ali: An American Champion ), and on the sinking of the Titanic ( Titanic Sinks! ), combine narrative with illustration and photography in a unique format which reviewers have called "history at its best" ( Kirkus Reviews , starred review ). Denenberg is also known for his many memorable books in the Dear America series--most notably When Will This Cruel War Be Over?: The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson , a title that won the Jefferson Cup. Denenberg divides his time between New York City and Westchester County. Susan H. Kamei received her JD from the Georgetown University Law Center and teaches at the University of Southern California on the legal ramifications of the incarceration of persons of Japanese ancestry during World War II and about the application of those constitutional issues to national security and civil liberties considerations today.