Imprisoned

Wrapping up the WWII books for the Nonfiction Challenge, Martin W. Sandler's Imprisoned: The betrayal of Japanese Americans during World War II provides an account of the experience facing this segment of the American people.  With vibrant photographs and moving primary sources, Sandler allows the reader to envision the despair as well as the championing spirit of the interned.  It is amazing, as with Stone's Courage Has No Color, that despite the cruel treatment from the American government and society, these marginalized groups can still prove their resiliency and patriotism time and time again.

It was a little difficult to find a reading rhythm since the story was often interrupted by side stories and photo spreads.  In terms of the actual narrative, I understand that the focus was on the 100,000 Japanese Americans who were interned during WWII.  However, I was disappointed in the allusion to the lack of internment of Italian and German Americans whereas in reality, there were still another 13,000 or so Americans from these backgrounds who were also interned.  I liked the description of the legacy of internment, but I expected to read more about democratic actions taken by the Japanese Americans such as the lawsuit Fred Korematsu filed against the United States.

Overall, this is a good introduction to this aspect of WWII and an important reminder of an aspect of our history I'm sure we would rather forget.