Publishers Weekly
01/31/2019
With great sensitivity, Warren (Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London) traces the experiences of former congressman Norman Mineta, whose family was forcibly relocated in 1942 during the WWII-era internment of Japanese-Americans. Interweaving historical background, various accounts, and Mineta’s first-person recollections, Warren skillfully illuminates what it felt like to be targeted and imprisoned. Mineta’s memories range from seeing his father cry after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, to his own pride at the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which apologized for and provided restitution to internment survivors. One powerful chapter recounts the day that future senator Alan Simpson, then a Wyoming Boy Scout, met Mineta in the nearby internment camp; the two remain friends and ardent defenders of constitutional rights. Archival photos throughout are augmented by additional information, multimedia sources, a bibliography, and notes. There are still too few books for youth about U.S. Japanese-American internment, and this affecting volume offers an essential view. Ages 10–up. (Apr.)
From the Publisher
* "By connecting Mineta’s story to the larger events of World War II and its impact on Japanese Americans, the author helps readers learn about a frightening historical injustice. . . . an inspiring story of character and endurance despite hardships. An important, well-told story. An excellent choice for social studies classes, literature circles, and libraries. Extensive back matter enriches understanding of this historical narrative.—School Library Journal, Starred Review
* "With so many individual stories, only one absolute emerges from this historical period: a large segment of our population, whether U.S. citizens or first-generation Japanese people deprived of citizenship, were denied their constitutional and civil rights. Warren leaves much to ponder about our nation’s past and present, about 'this beautiful tapestry that is America.'"—The Horn Book, Starred Review
"This is absolutely one of the most important stories for all Americans to know. Andrea Warren’s skillful research and writing, and Norman Mineta's irrepressible spirit and patriotism, make Enemy Child a truly special book."—Steve Sheinkin, three-time National Book Award Finalist and author of Bomb, The Port Chicago 50 and Undefeated
"Writing efficiently with concise descriptors, Warren narrates in the third person, focusing primarily on the family and social environment of Mineta's school-age years. . . . an invaluable record of an incredible life."—Kirkus Reviews
"Warren’s biography adroitly covers Mineta’s subsequent education and distinguished career. Extremely well researched and boasting Mineta’s cooperation, the book is generously illustrated with period black-and-white photos. It’s a fascinating record of an eventful and significant life." —Booklist
"In Enemy Child, Andrea Warren shares with the world what Norman Mineta's many friends have known for years: He is a national treasure. Her luminous book tells the story of the Japanese American incarceration with depth and grace and shows how Norm's life is truly an American journey."—Shirley Ann Higuchi, Chair of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation
"There are still too few books for youth about U.S. Japanese-American internment, and this affecting volume offers an essential view." —Publishers Weekly
"Warren bases her narrative on interviews as well as other primary and secondary resources, and although readers who have read other work on the internment camps will find much that is familiar, the Mineta family story offers particulars that do not emerge with such clarity in other accounts." —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
School Library Journal
★ 03/01/2019
Gr 5–8—When Norman Mineta was nine years old, he was living with his family in San Jose, CA. Like many boys his age, Norm was interested in baseball, comics, and joking with his friends. But when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, bringing America into World War II, Norm's life changed forever because he and his family were Japanese Americans. At first there were curfews and FBI searches of Japanese American homes. Then Norm learns that a neighbor was handcuffed and taken away. By connecting Mineta's story to the larger events of World War II and its impact on Japanese Americans, the author helps readers learn about a frightening historical injustice. They and thousands of other Japanese American families were forced from their homes, sent to desolate internment camps, and imprisoned against their will. Using more than 100 photographs and many quotes from Mineta, the author chronicles his family's experiences living in a camp in Wyoming, where he and his family lived in a single room shack, denied their privacy and freedom while being watched by an armed guard. Despite these conditions, we also learn that the family's loyalty to America was unwavering. The author continues the story beyond internment to tell about Mineta's career as a politician, serving 10 terms in the House of Representatives and as a cabinet member for two presidents. It is an inspiring story of character and endurance despite hardships. An important, well-told story. VERDICT An excellent choice for social studies classes, literature circles, and libraries. Extensive back matter enriches understanding of this historical narrative.—Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York
MAY 2019 - AudioFile
Caroline McLaughlin narrates the story Congressman Norman Mineta’s WWII experience in a serious tone. In response to war hysteria and anti-Japanese sentiment, the U.S. government imprisoned more than 100,000 Japanese-Americans in hastily constructed internment camps. Many were U.S. citizens. In 1941, fourth-grader Norman, his parents, and his four siblings were forcibly removed from their California home. With gravity, McLaughlin reads Mineta's remembrances of his family's life within the single room they were allotted in their barracks at Montana's Heart Mountain War Relocation Center. Her subdued tones and precise manner convey the stoicism with which internees endured years of privation in the many camps across the country. As a congressional representative, Mineta later worked to restore honor to these citizens. L.T. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
