Rat 🛸
I had the great privilege of hearing George Takei speak in person at a Star Trek convention a few years ago, and me and my family were so incredibly struck as he talked about his life, the great injustices that he and the rest of the Japanese-American community suffered, and the way that that same rhetoric is resurging in power with ICE today. It's one thing to know the facts and figures, it's another to hear personal testimony.
There's so much in this book I'm impressed with. I really like the way it talks about different choices that people made, respectful of all decisions made by different Japanese-American families to keep safe or strong or true to themselves. Example: I love that this book pays remembrance to the enlisted Japanese-American soldiers who fought the fascist regimes in Italy and German-occupied territories, but gives equal appreciation and respect to the people who chose to refuse to enlist as a protest of America's violation of their human rights.
I also appreciate the theme of participatory democracy. Politics isn't voting once every 4 years, it's turning up, being a part of your community, using any platform you have to educate and advocate.
There's a few odd lines in this book that stick out to me a bit American-exceptionalist but I don't think it bothers me much - they are the opinions of people in the book, not something the book is trying to get you to agree with.
Love that this book includes a link to teaching resources/lesson plans based on this. Maybe I can convince one of the teachers I work with to use it.
I had the great privilege of hearing George Takei speak in person at a Star Trek convention a few years ago, and me and my family were so incredibly struck as he talked about his life, the great injustices that he and the rest of the Japanese-American community suffered, and the way that that same rhetoric is resurging in power with ICE today. It's one thing to know the facts and figures, it's another to hear personal testimony.
There's so much in this book I'm impressed with. I really like the way it talks about different choices that people made, respectful of all decisions made by different Japanese-American families to keep safe or strong or true to themselves. Example: I love that this book pays remembrance to the enlisted Japanese-American soldiers who fought the fascist regimes in Italy and German-occupied territories, but gives equal appreciation and respect to the people who chose to refuse to enlist as a protest of America's violation of their human rights.
I also appreciate the theme of participatory democracy. Politics isn't voting once every 4 years, it's turning up, being a part of your community, using any platform you have to educate and advocate.
There's a few odd lines in this book that stick out to me a bit American-exceptionalist but I don't think it bothers me much - they are the opinions of people in the book, not something the book is trying to get you to agree with.
Love that this book includes a link to teaching resources/lesson plans based on this. Maybe I can convince one of the teachers I work with to use it.