Starred Review Yes, the bombing of Pearl Harbor drew America into WWII. But it also created strong waves of fear and mistrust of Japanese American immigrants in the U.S. and led to their internment in poorly appointed, remote "relocation centers" for the duration of the war. In addition to placing their story within a broader context, Sandler uses apt quotes to introduce readers to individual evacuees and their families, who lost their belongings, yet maintained their dignity during their sometimes humiliating ordeals. The book also documents the loyal service of Japanese Americans in the U.S. military as translators and fighting forces. In the opening scene, Japanese American soldiers, whose families still lived in relocation centers surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards, help liberate prisoners from the Germans' Dachau concentration camp. The well-organized, clearly written text also fills in the broader history of Japanese immigrants in America, from the first generation, who were often excluded from citizenship, to the activists of the 1960s and 1970s, who demanded a public apology and reparations from the U.S. government for the treatment of their elders during the war. Beautifully illustrated with well-chosen photographs and other documents, this handsome book offers a clear view of an episode in American history that still receives too little focus.

Gr 7 Up-Sandler expertly crafts a narrative that manages to explain the horror and incomprehensibility of locking up American citizens in prison camps simply because of their ethnic ancestry. Japanese American relocation has long been expurgated from school history texts about World War II, and here this delicate topic is handled with sensitivity and insight, providing an in-depth look at the full story, from anti-Japanese sentiments during the first wave of immigration through more current issues such as redress. A close examination of both the nation's feelings after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the political conversations that followed is an important part of the story that leads up to the actual relocation of hundreds of thousands of people. There is also a lengthy and moving section about the young Japanese Americans who served in the military in a variety of capacities, from actual combat to intelligence and translation services. Sandler makes it clear that these brave folks were battling prejudice and tyranny overseas while their families and friends were suffering under it back at home. The irony was not lost on them. Photographs help to further the narrative and yet tell their own story, offering rich detail and putting a human face on this tragic episode. A must-have for any library collection.— Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA

Sandler provides a fairly comprehensive overview of the Japanese American experience during WWII, tracing anti-Japanese prejudice back to the earliest stages of immigration. His earnest telling is complemented by well-chosen primary sources, not just the words but also black-and-white photographs that present striking images. Bib., ind.

Historian Sandler presents a cogent survey of Executive Order 9066 and its aftermath. The order authorized the U.S. military to relocate over 100,000 Japanese-Americans––many were U.S. citizens––from their homes in Washington, Oregon and California to detention camps. Everything was left behind. Neither the temporary holding centers nor the 10 internment camps were ready to house, feed and care for the evacuees. Whole families were housed in one small room, with meals in mess halls and humiliatingly public sanitary facilities. A few government officials did object to the order, questioning its constitutionality. Still, as the book's subtitle conveys, the disgrace and shame of the U.S. government's treatment of these innocent people remains a smear on the nation. Sandler opens with a history of the Japanese in the U.S. before moving on to a discussion of the people, camps, conditions, Japanese-Americans in U.S. military service and their lives after internment. (Irony of irony, it was the most decorated unit in U.S. Army history--the Japanese-American 442nd––that liberated Dachau.) Many, many photographs add to general knowledge, although captions lack dates--a nicety that would set a time frame. It is a good summary of a bad time, perhaps leading readers to question whether such events can reoccur in theirs. (places to visit, sources, further reading including websites, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)