Fear of the "Other": A Review of They Called Us Enemy

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in 1941 shook many Americans to their core. Never before had the country been attacked in such a devastating way and people were afraid. Out of that fear was borne one of the countries darkest mistakes, the internment of thousands of people Japanese descent, most of them American citizens. While the U.S. government has apologized and paid reparations to internees, it is too easy to forget how fear can drive a country to do terrible things to its own citizens. This graphic novel co-written by George Takei, the famous actor and activist, about his own experience in an American internment camp is a necessary read.

Set mostly in the 1940s, but also flashing forward into Mr. Takei's life, this book will feel very familiar to anyone who has read the March graphic novels. The artwork is smoothly drawn compared to some of the harsher lines of March, but like March the artwork is entirely black and white. At times, the black and white is a good thing, but I would've preferred this book with more color in a lot of different places. Still, for both young and old readers, the art does not get in the way of telling the story, so the smooth drawings and colors make this work.

While most of the story rightfully focuses on Mr. Takei's time in the camps with his family, as I mentioned before, it does flash forward to the present and other moments in Mr. Takei's life and career. Most of the time, this works very well, but every now and then there was a one-panel flash forward that broke the narrative and felt out of place. Most of the time, though, the flash forwards work quite effectively in showing Mr. Takei reflecting in the present what happened to him and his family in the past and how it impacted his whole life's trajectory.

As the country currently goes through a period of fear of the other, graphic novels like this one are incredibly important in warning us about not making the making the same mistakes again. Fear should not override our desire to love our neighbor and protect their rights and liberties. I highly recommend this book to fans of March, graphic novels, and Mr. Takei's life and work.

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