An eye-opening history of Japanese American treatment during WWII.
A biography of a woman who exposed the government secrets behind Japanese American concentration camps.
Michiko Nishiura Weglyn grew up on a farm in California where her Japanese immigrant parents worked. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, her family was taken to the Gila River War Relocation Center in Arizona. In a place where everyone was the same race, Michiko began to find her voice and became a leader in the camp high school. Facing discrimination in college and the professional world, Michiko worked hard to become a costume designer for Broadway and popular television shows. When, in 1968, the U.S. attorney general stated there had never been concentration camps in America, an outraged Michiko dedicated her time to uncovering and publicizing the truth about the Japanese American experience during WWII. Through years of research and writing, Michiko revealed hidden facts about the unjust treatment of Japanese Americans that also aided the redress movement. This well-crafted biography highlights a lesser-known catalyst for Japanese American reparations. Although only briefly mentioned, the treatment of Japanese Americans working in rail and coal and copper mines, as well as Japanese Latin Americans who were taken from their countries to U.S. internment camps, is brought to light through Michiko’s advocacy. Using well-chosen quotes from Michiko’s book, Years of Infamy (1996), Mochizuki’s work will resonate with teens.
An eye-opening history of Japanese American treatment during WWII. (photographs, notes, sources, picture credits, index) (Biography. 13-18)Pub Date: March 14, 2023
ISBN: 9781324015888
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Norton Young Readers
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
Small but mighty necessary reading.
A miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.
Eli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. In the prologue, Eli compares the global Jewish community to the global queer community, noting, “We don’t always get it right, but the importance of showing up for other Jews has been carved into the DNA of what it means to be Jewish. It is my dream that queer people develop the same ideology—what I like to call a Global Queer Conscience.” He details his own isolating experiences as a queer adolescent in an Orthodox Jewish community and reflects on how he and so many others would have benefitted from a robust and supportive queer community. The rest of the book outlines 10 principles based on the belief that an expectation of mutual care and concern across various other dimensions of identity can be integrated into queer community values. Eli’s prose is clear, straightforward, and powerful. While he makes some choices that may be divisive—for example, using the initialism LGBTQIAA+ which includes “ally”—he always makes clear those are his personal choices and that the language is ever evolving.
Small but mighty necessary reading. (resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09368-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future.
An adaptation for teens of the adult title A Queer History of the United States (2011).
Divided into thematic sections, the text filters LGBTQIA+ history through key figures in each era from the 1500s to the present. Alongside watershed moments like the 1969 Stonewall uprising and the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s, the text brings to light less well-known people, places, and events: the 1625 free love colony of Merrymount, transgender Civil War hero Albert D.J. Cashier, and the 1951 founding of the Mattachine Society, to name a few. Throughout, the author and adapter take care to use accurate pronouns and avoid imposing contemporary terminology onto historical figures. In some cases, they quote primary sources to speculate about same-sex relationships while also reminding readers of past cultural differences in expressing strong affection between friends. Black-and-white illustrations or photos augment each chapter. Though it lacks the teen appeal and personable, conversational style of Sarah Prager’s Queer, There, and Everywhere (2017), this textbook-level survey contains a surprising amount of depth. However, the mention of transgender movements and activism—in particular, contemporary issues—runs on the slim side. Whereas chapters are devoted to over 30 ethnically diverse gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer figures, some trans pioneers such as Christine Jorgensen and Holly Woodlawn are reduced to short sidebars.
Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future. (glossary, photo credits, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8070-5612-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Beacon Press
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
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