Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

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Screenwise Verdict

This is the rare book that's both critically acclaimed and actually readable for modern kids. The graphic novel format does the heavy lifting—Harmony Becker's illustrations make 1940s internment camps feel immediate and real in a way a textbook never could.

The story itself is devastating but told with remarkable grace. Takei doesn't just recount trauma; he shows how his family found moments of joy, how his father's faith in democracy shaped him, and how these experiences planted seeds for his activism. It's heavy, yes, but it's also hopeful in a way that doesn't feel cheap.

The enrichment value here is off the charts. This is American history that gets glossed over or skipped entirely in most schools, and hearing it from someone who was actually there—who remembers being woken up as a four-year-old to soldiers at the door—makes it unforgettable. The questions it raises about what it means to be American, who belongs, and how fear drives terrible policy are painfully relevant.

Is it tough? Absolutely. But it's the kind of tough that builds empathy and historical literacy. Just make sure your kid has some WWII context first and is ready for a serious conversation afterward.

Age Fit

Best for ages 10-12+ depending on reading level and emotional maturity. The graphic novel format helps, but the content—government-sanctioned imprisonment of American citizens—requires some historical context and ability to process injustice. Teens will get the most out of it, but mature middle schoolers can absolutely handle it.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

82

George Takei's memoir models resilience, family bonds, and grace under extreme injustice. His father's unwavering faith in democracy despite imprisonment, his mother's difficult choices, and the family's ability to find moments of joy in horrific circumstances demonstrate emotional maturity and humanity. The tone is reflective and educational rather than vengeful, making it age-appropriate for teens while not sugar-coating the racism and trauma.

Imaginative

75

The graphic novel format brings history to life through Harmony Becker's illustrations, making an abstract historical event visceral and immediate. While this is a true story rather than fiction, it invites readers to imagine themselves in another's shoes and grapple with profound questions about identity, loyalty, and what it means to be American. The visual storytelling adds layers that pure text couldn't achieve, though it's more contemplative than wildly creative.

Safe

70

Per web search, violence is 'mild-medium' with fighting scenes between guards and Japanese inmates, guns and barbed wire as threats (no one shot). This is historical trauma—family separation, imprisonment, armed guards, legalized racism—that's heavy but age-appropriate for teens. No gore, sex, or nudity. The content is serious and could be emotionally challenging, but it's presented in an educational context without gratuitous shock value. Not something you'd hand to an 8-year-old unprepared.

Enriching

95

This is American history that many kids never learn in school, told by someone who lived it. It builds empathy, historical literacy, and critical thinking about civil rights, government overreach, and how fear drives policy. The questions it raises—'What does it mean to be American? Who gets to decide?'—are timeless and relevant. With a 4.8 Amazon rating and NYT bestseller status, it's clearly resonating. The graphic novel format makes dense history accessible to reluctant readers. This is the kind of book that stays with you.

Parent Info

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Why It Might Be Great

Fills a massive gap in most school curriculums about Japanese American internment, told by someone who was actually there
Graphic novel format makes heavy history accessible and engaging for visual learners and reluctant readers
Models resilience and grace—Takei's family maintained dignity and hope while imprisoned by their own government
Raises profound questions about citizenship, loyalty, and democracy that are still relevant today
4.8 Amazon rating and NYT bestseller status—this one lands with readers of all ages

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What to Watch For

This is real trauma: armed guards, barbed wire, family separation, legalized racism. It's educational but emotionally heavy.
Some scenes show physical confrontations between guards and prisoners (no one gets shot, but guns are present as threats)
Kids will need context about WWII, Pearl Harbor, and why the U.S. government did this—be ready for hard questions
Younger or more sensitive readers might find the injustice and powerlessness of the situation distressing

Conversation Starters

"If you were four years old like George, what would you remember most about being forced to leave your home?"
"George's dad kept believing in American democracy even while imprisoned. Would you have been able to do that?"
"Why do you think the government called these places 'relocation centers' instead of camps or prisons?"
"Can you think of times today when people are treated differently because of where they're from or what they look like?"
"What would you have done if you were a neighbor watching Japanese American families being taken away?"

Deep Dive

If your kid knows George Takei, it’s probably as the guy from Star Trek or the witty octogenarian with a massive social media following. That’s exactly why They Called Us Enemy works so well. It takes a pop-culture icon and rewinds the tape to show a four-year-old boy who didn't understand why his country suddenly viewed his face as the face of the enemy. It’s a gut-punch of a memoir, but because it’s told through the eyes of a child, it manages to be accessible without sanitizing the reality of the internment camps.

The "Real Reading" hurdle

I still talk to parents who worry that do comics and graphic novels count as reading when the subject matter is this serious. The answer here is a hard yes. Harmony Becker’s art does something a standard history book can't: it captures the cognitive dissonance of childhood. You see young George finding the barbed wire and the barracks exciting—it’s an adventure to him—while the expressions on his parents' faces tell the real story.

This visual layer makes it one of the most effective graphic novels about history for the middle-school set. It allows kids to process the emotional weight of "legalized racism" through the characters' body language before they even wrap their heads around the complex political failures of the 1940s. It’s not "history lite"; it’s history with a human pulse.

Why it sticks

Most school curricula treat the internment of Japanese Americans as a brief, unfortunate footnote. Takei forces a longer look. He doesn't just show the camp; he shows the "loyalty questionnaire" that tore families apart and the struggle to rebuild a life from nothing after being released.

If your kid has already read Maus or March, this is the natural next step. It hits that same intersection of personal trauma and national shame, but with a specific focus on the American legal system’s fragility. If they finish this and want to dig deeper into the mechanics of how this happened, you can point them toward teaching kids about Japanese American incarceration for more primary sources and archives.

The takeaway

Don’t be surprised if this book leads to some uncomfortable questions about the present. Takei is very intentional about linking his childhood experience to modern-day issues of civil rights and border policy. He isn't just recounting a sad story from the past; he’s issuing a warning. Now that his follow-up, It Rhymes With Takei, has been out for a year, this original memoir remains the essential starting point for understanding why he’s spent his life as an activist. It’s a fast read, but it’s the kind of book that stays on the nightstand for a long time.

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