"An essential volume...Although there have been many books written on the history of incarceration, few have captured the kind of emotional detail that comes through in the largely first-person accounts collected by Abe and Cheung. Their selections paint a complicated picture, convening hopeful, patriotic idealists, righteous firebrands, and downtrodden cynics."
–Hua Hsu, The New Yorker "
The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration, will undoubtedly serve as a seminal text for generations of students learning about the United States government's incarceration of 125,000 Japanese Americans during World War II."
–Paul Constant, The Seattle Times "Here, we see why
The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration is so essential, because it serves as a flashpoint of resistance, and of righteous rage. It does that by recentering the story of the camps through the lens of
stories–testament and testimony, all these voices adding up to a narrative collage."
–David L. Ulin, Alta "Meticulously compiled and edited in chronological order (...) The impressive breadth of this searing collection makes it suitable for high-school reading and research.
–Terry Hong, Booklist "This anthology is bound by the shared voice of the Japanese American community - however stratified - telling the story of historical oppression and both the collective and personal means of resistance."
–Ana Tanaka, International Examiner
"A look at a dark chapter in American history...this book is a Penguin Classic...these are meant to be read for generations."
–Scott Tong, NPR