MY LOST FREEDOM: A Japanese American World War II Story

 This is an example of a topic in history that most of us believe we "know" about, yet actually know very little. My recent post celebrated the story of two Jewish survivor/sisters during the Holocaust, HIDING FROM THE NAZIS IN PLAIN SIGHT. Titles in that new, well-researched series approach familiar historic events through the eyes of individuals whose personal stories during those eras and events are generally unfamiliar to the public. It offers connection and insight that even the most compelling facts on a page  or even in a documentary miss by focusing on the scope and distance of larger stories. 

Crown Books for Children, 2024

The picture book I'm spotlighting in this post takes that individual story approach, authored by one man who lived the experiences in his childhood, George Takei. MY LOST FREEDOM: A Japanese American World War II Story reveals his first person memories and accounts in a poignant and thorough perspective. Anyone might describe  "what they know" about the Japanese internment/imprisonment in this country during World War II in general terms. This anecdotal/biography maintains a sharp focus on the facts through the experiences of Takei, his family, and the incarcerated communities to which they were confined. it is illustrated with subtle realism and engaging connection to Takei and his family throughout those years of deprived freedoms by MIchelle Lee. Circumstances are portrayed with informative detail and provide a sense of the challenges and conditions faced, but convey his family's stability and reassurance through the strength of the Takei family and other prisoners.

Takei, better known to some as Star Trek's Mr. Sulu, opens this very personal book with a letter to readers. In it he offers a concise history of America's launch into WWII and how the bombing of Pearl Harbor generated racial hatred, soon followed by imprisonment of all generations of Japanese Americans, even those born in this country and those with full citizenship. His childhood memories included those typical of California kids before the war began, but then dominated by the consequences of those unjust changes on the lives of him and his family and community. Incorporating archival photos, and era-evoking illustrations, Takei's text introduces him and his family to readers, including maps and proclamations with full text that adult reading partners are likely to explore. Their abrupt relocation, requiring them to leave behind most of their belongings and furnishings, crowding them and many others onto transports and into makeshift, degrading housing, including horse stables that stunk of manure and strung with webs and bugs. 

That sounds painful, and it certainly was, including disease-spread that sickened many children, including George and his baby brother. Throughout the challenging years, George's parents worked hard to calm and normalize their conditions. His father couched their travel and settlement as a vacation and adventure. His mother cleaned and improvised from rags and scraps to arrange even the smallest quarters as a home, including braiding rugs. Among those sharing the hardship, skills and resources were bartered and shared generously. This included community organizing  and communicating with the powers in charge. When loyalty statements were demanded, careful reading by his parents led them to refuse to sign the wording, resulting in punishments and another family move to a "high risk" camp with even more controls. 

Takei has long shared his story with adults, including his advocacy for compensation and reparations to survivors of that time, along with demands for a formal government apology. He lent his fame and public standing to amplify other voices and clarify reality through his own story and to bring along others to speak openly about their experiences and losses. The general America public too easily want to leave the past in the past, having not suffered from the wrongs or carried their consequences and scars forward into life. Through his energetic and persistent work, and that of others, they managed to achieve those concessions from the government. Now this reader-friendly and very personal account allows young readers (and their adults) to directly empathize and better understand a part of this country's history that is rapidly sliding  further and further into history as those directly affected are diminishing in numbers. A gklossary,m author's note, and annotated family photos in back matter humanize this story even more. A timeless and relevant account of one person and his family gives voice to Takei's family story and to all of the surrounding history that must never be forgotten, so that it is never repeated.