George Takei’s graphic novel They Called Us Enemy is our April book. The fact that it is in graphic novel form will make it excitingly different for us. I know many of us don’t read graphic novels very often but I encourage you to give it a try.
Serendipitously, there is a library based LA Made program scheduled for April 15 centered around this book. It will be at 4:00. The program description is:
“Join us for this intergenerational conversation on racial injustice and reconciliation surrounding George Takei’s graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, which tells the story of Takei’s imprisonment in a WWII Japanese American concentration camp. June Berk, a former WWII incarceree and Japanese American National Museum volunteer will be interviewed by Abbi-Hope Jihye Park and Abigail Eun, two Los Angeles-area high school students from the Koreatown Youth and Community Center's Koreatown Storytelling Program. They will discuss the novel, the many histories that it connects, and its lessons for our futures.”
It will be streaming on the library’s YouTube and Facebook channels. Check it out and bring your thoughts to our discussion.
The book itself is available via Hoopla. Find it here. If you would like a paper copy of the book send an email to ayosco@lapl.org and we’ll set up a pickup appointment for you.
We will meet to discuss the book via Zoom on April 24 at 3:00. Remember, if you’re interested in participating the discussion you need to send an email to ayosco@lapl.org so we’ll know to send you the link.
Finally, we would like to thank those who are taking the time to enter suggestions on the book club suggested titles form. Please continue to make suggestions as they occur to you and remember that depending on book availability it can often be a long time before we get to the book so don’t be discouraged and continue suggesting.
