By Elizabeth Partridge
Illustrated by Lauren Tamaki
San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2022. Nonfiction. 123 pgs.
This highly illustrated, immersive nonfiction book offers a whole new lens to view the Japanese American Incarceration through. In 1942, during World War II, President Roosevelt authorized the forced removal and imprisonment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans from the West Coast; including grandparents, children, and babies. These families were forced to relocate to federal prison camps like Manzanar in California. During the length of the Japanese American Incarceration, three photographers captured images of the camps -- Dorothea Lange, who wanted to show how unfair the relocation process was; Toyo Miyatake, a prisoner at Manzanar who used smuggled equipment to document everything; and Ansel Adams, who wanted to take posed photos and show a positive view of life in Manzanar.
This book is highly readable and immediately engaging. Black and white original photographs are seamlessly interwoven with ink and watercolor illustrations to create a rich visual text. The written text is thoughtfully done -- it's highly readable while emotionally conveying the injustices felt by the people in the camps. The depth of research done to complete this book is evident and supported by extensive backmatter, including a note that Dorothea Lange was the godmother of Elizabeth Partridge. As an informational text, this book is a great source for discussions of the Japanese American Incarceration, misinformation and disinformation, and the history of photography. A great choice for older children with an interest in history.
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