A long vacation to a far-away
place called Arkansas.
What's it like there?
I ... I'm not sure ...
I saw people crying and couldn't
understand why. Daddy said we
were going on a vacation."
I have read two graphic novels recently that help readers understand the repercussions of internment for so many Japanese Americans during WWII. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese air force, the government determined that all citizens of Japanese heritage were an immediate threat to the US. The decision was made to take them from their homes, asking them to leave with what they could carry and shipping them to one of ten camps that were being set up to house the families.
George Takei was only 5, the oldest of 3 children, when he and his family were rounded up in the night and eventually sent to their first internment camp. His father downplayed the move, suggesting they were going on vacation - tough for a young child to understand when people around their family were frantic and crying. Arkansas provided wooden barracks, barbed-wire fences and a watchful rifleman.
Takei's narration is through the eyes of a young child. Their new home was hot and flooded often. The food was unfamiliar and unappealing. It was difficult to adjust to a life where furniture had to be built from scraps, where older children did their best to get the young boy into trouble, and where startling discoveries were made because nothing was normal (Santa was not his roly-poly self). His parents did what they could to make the most of their situation. His father became a leader in the camp, helping newcomers and dealing diplomatically with guards. His mother used a hidden sewing machine to ensure her children were clothed and comfortable.
When his resilient and proud parents refused to swear loyalty to the United States and denounce Japan, they were immediately coined 'No-Nos'. This meant a transfer to Tule Lake in California, a place where 'disloyal' Japanese people were sent, and notoriously labelled the 'worst' of the ten camps set up by the American government. The camp's atmosphere was strained, pitting activists against those who resisted protest. George had difficulty accepting some of his father's teachings as a young man; he did come to see what his father had been saying and has lived the rest of his life emulating his father's legacy of truth, kindness and understanding.
George Takei speaks brilliantly of his childhood memories when he compares what he felt at the time to the plight of many people in the world today. He uses his celebrity to make a difference, just as his father used his intelligence and patience to help Japanese families when they needed his guidance.
This is another distinguished graphic memoir published by First Second. It gives readers a clear understanding from this author, actor, and activist of the impact that the internment had on generations of Japanese families.
If you want to hear more, check out George's TED talk from 2014, and his address at the FDR Museum and Presidential Library in 2017.
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