We Are Not Free by Traci Chee: Book Review

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee is an amazing, eye-opening read. One that everyone should read.

It is a double award nominee. HMH Books for Young Readers published We Are Not Free in September 2020.

Synopsis

It’s 1942, in San Francisco, California. In Japantown, to be more specific.

Fourteen teens, who grew up in the same neighborhood their whole lives, are hearing rumors of changes. They are determined to stick together. There are have been lots of changes to their lives, and more are coming.

Positives

The characters were well written and believable. They are typical teenagers, just trying to figure out what is going on in their lives and what they want to do next. Isn’t that something that every teen ever deals with?

The book was written from the heart. The author used some family stories. Though some details are altered, you can tell that these things happened. Maybe not to her family personally, but someone’s family.

The locales are written with such vivid detail. You get the feeling that Topaz may have been just a bit better than Tule Lake. Tule Lake feels cold and inhospitable, where everyone is miserable. Topaz is regimented and controlled, but not as tightly as Tule Lake.

Negatives

There are 14 different points of view in the book. Each character is given their own chapter, thus giving you a look at a different family. There is a “Character Registry” at the beginning of the book to help keep the 14 teens separated.

My Opinion

WOW! This book hits hard. The camps the Japanese-Americans (and throughout North America) were sent to were known to me. But I never really considered the way they were treated. I understand this is a work of fiction, even the author states this, but there is a heavy thread of truth in the book. Some stories state the camps were good, safe places to be. Some stories state the opposite. Every story has a piece of truth for the person telling it.

I am not sure if I just didn’t consider or know, what families went through after Pearl Harbor was attacked. I just hope that my ancestors who were around then did not just accept what was happening and not try to make things better for all involved.

This book has taught me that the words the US Government gave us for the camps were inaccurate. There is a push for the term “internment” to be replaced by “incarceration.” This change is easy to make, especially after reading this book.

Looking for more books to add to your TBR? Check out my other Book Reviews.