Imprisoned: The Betrayal of Japanese Americans During World War II by Martin W. Sandler Published by Walker Books for Young Readers, 2013. Age Range: 12-17 (middle school and up) Lexile Score: 1240L 2014 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist Imprisoned is an explanatory nonfiction book that gives details of the Japanese internment camps during World War II. The book is broken into chapters, and has text features like a table of contents, photographs, captions, an index and sidebars. Some parts of the book read like a story, but it doesn't follow one person. The author includes several quotes and excerpts from different people who were involved in the internment camps. The recollections add authenticity to the text. They tell stories about what it was like on the inside of the camps, which most people living in the US at the time had no idea about. Here is an example of a page: I like the way this book is organized chronologically. It starts out by talking about when the Japanese first started immigrating to America at the beginning of the twentieth century, and follows them through the mass hysteria following Pearl Harbor all the way until they were finally released from the internment camps at the end of the war. Each chapter is in depth enough to try and explain how something like this could happen in America, but simplistic enough that it is easy to read. The book is definitely not just a collection of facts. The author does a good job of connecting all the facts and quotes into a very readable text. The accompanying photographs provide a window into that time period. This book belongs in a middle and high school collection. It is a wonderful introduction to a topic that is often glossed over in history textbooks. I had never really learned anything about Japanese internment camps in school, other than they happened. We grow up learning how atrocious the concentration camps were in Germany, and barely anything is mentioned about the concentration camps that Japanese Americans were forced to live in. I think this book could function as a companion to a history textbook or as part of a larger text set on World War II. This is an important topic that needs more coverage. Especially with the climate of our country leading up to the election, this book is even more vital to remind us how cruel we can be to our own citizens. As Congressman Mel Levine noted; "Frightened people do frightening things." (p. 26) Just as people are frightened by ISIS and the War on Terror, people in the 1940s were terrified by the attack on Pearl Harbor. this caused them to immediately distrust anyone who looked remotely Japanese for fear that they would be sympathetic. This scarily parallels rhetoric about the Muslim population in America today. This book would obviously be popular with history teachers to provide more of a balanced view of American history. Any students who are interested in World War II would be interested to read about this little known topic. This book could be paired with other nonfiction books about the Japanese internment camps, as well as historical fiction books covering the same time period:
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Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey by Ozge Samanci Published by Margaret Ferguson Books, 2015. Age Range: 14-17 (high school) Lexile Score: 570L (This book is considered a Hi-Lo book. It has high interest and a low reading level) Dare to Disappoint is a graphic novel. It is the story of the author's childhood growing up in Turkey. The book contains a few nonfiction text features, including a table of contents and a map. Each page includes illustrations by the author, with text surrounding them, comic-book style. There are also pages where it looks like a collage. Here is an example of a page: The book reads like a story, starting when the author is 6 years old, and progressing chronologically until she is in college. I like that it encompasses so much of her life, because you are able to really get a sense for the character and what drives her. The books also provides details about Turkey's tumultuous history, which was very intriguing. I will admit, I know little to nothing about Turkey other than where it is on a map. I think the author did a good job of showing what it was like to grow up in Turkey during all the turmoil, while still trying to live a normal life. I think often for people who grow up in the US, where we have never had active war or political unrest on our own soil, it is so hard to imagine how you continue living when there is war surrounding you and your government is unstable and corrupt. Life must go on as normally as possible, and you realize that kids growing up in Turkey, or anywhere, are very similar to kids in the US, in that they want to please their parents and find meaning in their lives. This book would be a wonderful addition to any middle or high school library. While it is not hard to read, due to the small blocks of text and dialogue, elementary school students would not appreciate the themes of growing up and finding your calling. I have not read any other graphic novels, but if they are all like this one, I am definitely a fan. I was able to read this book in about an hour, but there is so much rich content that I didn't feel like I flew through it. Also, with all the minute details in the illustrations, this is a book I could read again and find something new. I would recommend this book to a student who is interested in biographies/memoirs. This would also be a good read for students who like history and learning about other cultures. Although that isn't a huge chunk of the book, the chapters that cover Turkish history are fascinating. Some books that I would put in a text set with Dare to Disappoint are:
I Am Malala is about a girl who grows up in Pakistan amidst the political turmoil and regime of the Taliban. Her story is similar to Ozge's, in that she has to continue to try and live life in spite of the chaos that surrounds her. I Am Malala also has chapters covering the history of Pakistan, which would appeal to students who enjoy history and learning about different cultures. Persepolis is another graphic novel about a girl growing up in Iran. Again, this book along with the other two already mentioned, would provide students a window into an area of the world that they are probably unfamiliar with, even as they have heard of the war in the Middle East. Through these books, they can get a glimpse of what it is like to grow up in the Middle East, and probably realize that these kids are very similar to themselves. After reading Dare to Disappoint, I Am Malala, and Persepolis, students could write their own autobiography. They can choose to write it in a graphic novel or narrative format. If possible, it would also be fascinating to set up a pen pal system with students from Turkey or Iran. Getting to know other kids from other countries can make the world seem so much bigger and smaller at the same time. Overall, I would give this book 5 stars. It kept me interested the whole time, and I liked all the history and culture related to Turkey. Ozge's illustrations fit in with the tone of the story, and her graphic style kept the story moving. |
AuthorMy name is Kayla Taylor. I am currently taking LIS-S672 Seminar in Youth Literature - Nonfiction. These are the books I have read this semester and my reviews. ArchivesCategories |