We Are Not Free

We Are Not Free wasn’t anywhere on my radar, but thankfully it arrived in my book subscription box from The Strand Bookstore. Traci Chee has taken a dark piece of her history and created something beautiful.

“And I get it, finally. Gaman. The ability to hold your pain and bitterness inside you and not let them destroy you. To make something beautiful through your anger, or with your anger, and neither erase it nor let it define you. To suffer. And to rage. And to persevere.”

Traci Chee, We Are Not Free

This book tells the story of fourteen friends and their experiences when they–and their families–are ordered from their homes in Japantown, San Francisco and relocated to incarceration camps. Each chapter of the book is told from a different teens’ point of view, the story progressing chronologically as they get older. It even follows one of the characters into battle after they’ve joined the war. It was one of the most moving passages I’ve ever read set during a battle. And several of the characters have a special way of telling their part of the story: with art, poetry, letters, or in a diary format. The mixed media aspect of the book was one of my favorite parts. And the historically accurate pieces enhanced the telling of the story—which only got better with each chapter. I was an emotional mess by the end.

The author’s note at the end of the book was almost as beautiful as the story. I appreciated her honesty and inclusion of her family’s history with the camps, as well. And the ‘Further Reading’ list was also a nice bonus!

It’s infuriating to think about how much of American History has been left out of our textbooks. How were we never taught about the incarceration camps in school?? More importantly, how did something so despicable happen in the first place! Stories like this one are so important. Education is the key to preventing history from repeating itself. I hope this beautiful book gets all the attention it deserves.

Check out my reviews and book playlists at A Book Wanderer

#popsugarreadingchallenge2021 (prompt #21 - A genre hybrid)

This was such a quick read! Let’s start with the light parts… I loved the friendship and the connections between all the characters. I cried when I read it. If that doesn’t mean I’m invested, I don’t know what does. I knew about the incarceration of Japanese- Americans in theory, but in actuality knew nothing. This book opened my eyes, and was beyond heartbreaking.

I absolutely think this book was educational for me, and I think it’s such a good read. Plausible historical fiction at its best.