Barbara's Reviews > My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story

Add this important picture book to a collection about Japanese incarceration camps along with other titles such as So Far from the Sea and Takei's graphic memoir for older readers, They Called Us Enemy, which is equally as good as this one. Intended for a younger audience, this book's focus is on young George's experiences in those camps--first at the Santa Anita racetracks, next at Camp Rohwer, Arkansas, and finally at Tule Lake, California. Because the perspective is that of a young child, it is all the more relatable for its intended audience. The narrative leans heavily on the roles his parents played in making camp life endurable and as pleasant as possible under the circumstances. His mother was always trying to spruce up their living spaces, making curtains, braiding rugs, and taking care of the children when they became ill while his father, who spoke English and Japanese fluently, took on a leadership role in the camp communities. Somehow, they found ways to laugh and look forward to being free once again. George even describes befriending a small black dog, Blackie, at one of the camps, and having to leave him behind when the family was finally released. Although Takei puts a positive spin on some of the events described here and the story ends on a hopeful note, he also is quick to point out how the family lost its freedom, its business, and its savings. The back matter is worth a read too since it elaborates on what happened to Japanese Americans during WWII and shares Takei's stirring words given during the 1981 hearings on the imprisonment of Japanese Americans. Created with watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, and digital media, the illustrations are soft in tone, effectively depicting life before the incarceration, the train trips to the camps, the camp settings themselves, and the many individuals who took similar journeys. During this time of polarization in our country and a tendency of some folks to demonize certain groups, Takei's story is exceptionally moving, a cautionary tale for today.