What an absolutely astonishing book this is.

Told from 14 different perspectives over 15ish chapters, Chee has created a community of people so fully realized, so grounded in reality, I felt every single emotion over the course of this book. I knew going in that each character would only have one chapter where they were the focus, so I was worried that some characters might not feel as fleshed out as the others, but I was so mistaken. Some chapters are 30+ pages, some are under 10, one is entirely told in verse and various poems, but each person feels so real.

Masterful from beginning to end.

I didn't go into this book totally blind as to the historical nature of this book. In high school I remember doing a report on Japanese Internment (I chose the topic, it was not assigned to everyone), which I would consider laid a VERY bare minimum foundation of knowledge. Then I read George Takei's They Called Us Enemy when it came out not too long ago, which added another, more complete layer of knowledge to what I had. Truthfully, I was not sure how much more We Are Not Free would add to my bank, and of course I was an idiot for thinking that.

We Are Not Free gives context to the lives of Japanese Americans before, during, and after the camps, and in doing so gives a complete look at the loss suffered by members of that community. I was most gutted by the depictions of interpersonal losses suffered within the community itself. Not only did the exclusion order rip away the J-As from their homes and livelihoods, but also each other, as evidenced by the divisions that grew within the community and families from the questionnaire.

Chapter 13 and 14 were devastating but for me also contained some of the most beautiful prose (especially chapter 13's end).

Highly recommend this book, especially in tandem with They Called Us Enemy, for anyone wanting to learn more about this part of our country's history that is so often overlooked.

Set in 1942, this story starts after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, when anti-Japanese sentiment was building. As rumors of evacuation swirl around Japantown neighborhood in San Francisco, we meet a group of friends. Questions abound - who will they take? where will they go? and mostly, why will they have to go, when they are Americans too.

They are eventually all forcibly removed from their homes, and their friend group manages to stay in tact in the camps. But soon camp policies start to splinter them off - loyalty questions, being asked to serve a country that has incarcerated them because of their ethnicity, being released and moving away, heading off to war. As we know from history, the camps were disbanded in December 1944 and camp residents can leave. Some of the group find their way back to Japantown, where the story all began. But the neighborhood has changed, and so have they.

This is a work of fiction, but it is based on the experiences of Chee's own grandparents. Chee includes Author Notes, which includes discussion of the language of this historical event and makes connections to present day. A list of sources for further reading will be appreciated by readers interested in learning more about this part of our history. Highly recommended for readers grade 7 and up.

This was one of the best books I’ve read all year. A must read

Gaman
Surviving under injustice.
Raging but not stopping.

This book makes you feel with the characters, to see through their eyes.

This should be required reading

I teared up so much.

4.5

So I knew this was going to be sad but no one could have prepared me for HOW sad it was

DNF @ 100 pages