They Called Us Enemy

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, art by Harmony Becker, 192 pages

In this graphic memoir, Takei recounts his years spent in two Japanese internment camps during World War II. He was a small child when his family was sent first to Rowher and then to Tule Lake, so he didn't really understand what was going on — though he had a better idea when the camps finally closed and his family was left to reintegrate into society on their own. Throughout the book, Takei explains clearly and calmly how this experience affected his family, and how it led him to a lifetime of campaigning for civil liberties and human rights. The book comes at the perfect time, as so many of Takei's experiences are being echoed in ICE roundups, in Muslim travel bans, and in refugee detainment on the Mexican border. This is essential reading for Americans of all ages.