My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story

In "My Lost Freedom," iconic actor and activist George Takei recounts his personal experience as a four-year-old child when his family, along with thousands of other Japanese Americans, was forcibly removed from their California home and incarcerated in internment camps during World War II. The book sensitively portrays the injustice of being treated as an enemy by one's own country due to ancestry, despite being American in every way. Through George's childhood memories and meticulously researched watercolor illustrations, it highlights his parents' unwavering efforts to protect their family and maintain their dignity. This story is a testament to family courage, a young boy's resilience, and the enduring importance of staying true to oneself in the face of profound injustice. It's an essential read for children ages 5-9 to understand a critical, often overlooked, period in American history.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A CALIBA GOLDEN POPPY AWARD WINNER • A moving, beautifully illustrated true story for children ages 6 to 9 about growing up in Japanese American incarceration camps during World War II—from the iconic Star Trek actor, activist, and author of the New York Times bestselling graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy. February 19, 1942. George Takei is four years old when his world changes forever. Two months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares anyone of Japanese descent an enemy of the United States. George and his family were American in every way. They had done nothing wrong. But because of their Japanese ancestry, they were removed from their home in California and forced into camps with thousands of other families who looked like theirs. Over the next three years, George had three different “homes”: the Santa Anita racetrack, swampy Camp Rohwer, and infamous Tule Lake. But even though they were now living behind barbed wire fences and surrounded by armed soldiers, his mother and father did everything they could to keep the family safe. In My Lost Freedom, George Takei looks back at his own memories to help children today understand what it feels like to be treated as an enemy by your own country. Featuring powerful, meticulously researched watercolor paintings, this is a story of a family’s courage, a young boy’s resilience, and the importance of staying true to yourself in the face of injustice.