They Called us Enemy

The Japanese internment camps from a survivor's perspective

George Takei, famous for his role as Star Trek’s Mr. Sulu, spent part of his childhood in a series of internment camps after he and his family fell victim to anti-Japanese hysteria following the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Forcibly moved from their Los Angeles home, the Takeis eventually ended up at Tule Lake, the most prison-like of all the internment camps.

This book does not stint on the ugliness of state-sponsored racism, nor on the soul-crushing sights, sounds, and smells of life in a prison camp.  But this is not merely a catalog of horrors.  Takei and his co-creators also show us the strength and resilience of people who, when faced with hatred, maintain their dignity and humanity.  And sometimes even their sense of joy.  Takei tells us that his beloved parents worked so hard to shelter him from the nastiness of their situation that, for at least some of the time, he was able to see his imprisonment as a fun adventure.

Intertwined with the historical narrative is the story of George Takei’s adult life as an actor, author, and activist.