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Solidarity Stories: Community Led Book Discussion

"They Called Us Enemy" by George Takei

Join a lively discussion! This month the Mount Rainier Branch Library and Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights are discussing, "They Called Us Enemy" by George Takei, co-writers Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott, and artist Harmony Beckeri.

A stunning graphic memoir recounting actor/author/activist George Takei's childhood imprisoned within American concentration camps during World War II. Experience the forces that shaped an American icon -- and America itself -- in this gripping tale of courage, country, loyalty, and love. George Takei has captured hearts and minds worldwide with his captivating stage presence and outspoken commitment to equal rights. But long before he braved new frontiers in Star Trek, he woke up as a four-year-old boy to find his own birth country at war with his father's -- and their entire family forced from their home into an uncertain future. In 1942, at the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, every person of Japanese descent on the west coast was rounded up and shipped to one of ten "relocation centers," hundreds or thousands of miles from home, where they would be held for years under armed guard. "They Called Us Enemy" is Takei's firsthand account of those years behind barbed wire, the joys and terrors of growing up under legalized racism, his mother's hard choices, his father's faith in democracy, and the way those experiences planted the seeds for his astonishing future. What is American? Who gets to decide? When the world is against you, what can one person do? To answer these questions, George Takei joins co-writers Justin Eisinger & Steven Scott and artist Harmony Becker for the journey of a lifetime. -From the Publisher

Find a copy of the book in our collection: Book | Ebook | Spanish language book

Venue information: Solidarity Stories: Community - Led Book Discussion takes place the 3rd Tuesday of each month in the upstairs lounge area of Mixt Food Hall in Brentwood, MD. Limited parking is available via the garage on 39th Street and Rhode Island Ave. Parking is free for program participants and no purchase is required, but participants are welcome to order snacks, drinks, or dinner from Mixt’s vendors. For more information, visit their website: https://mixtfoodhall.com.