They Called Us Enemy

They Called Us Enemy is a 2019 graphic memoir written by author, actor, and activist George Takei and illustrated by Harmony Becker. The story chronicles Takei’s childhood experience in the Japanese concentration camps created by the United States during World War II. Takei frames the narrative with a modern-day talk delivered at the home of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who presided over the country during the war and issued Executive Order 9066, which empowered the US government to create the camps and forcibly detain Japanese American citizens. During the talk, Takei tells his family’s story while examining themes of Injustice Against Japanese Americans, An Imperfect Democracy, and Loyalty and American Patriotism.

Summary

George is a child when his family is relocated to Camp Rohwer, a detention facility in Arkansas. The galvanizing event that turns the United States against the Japanese is the attack on Pearl Harbor. Much of the story focuses on how George’s parents deal with their new circumstances, with each throwing themselves into work. George’s mother does what she can to create a new home in the small barracks cabin, while George’s father serves as the Block Manager and works to form a community among the internees.