Infamy: the shocking story of Japanese American internment in World War II - Reeves, Richard
Summary: Former Frontline journalist Reeves (Portrait of Camelot ) examines the key causes and dire consequences of the Japanese-American internment in relocation camps during WWII, concentrating on a shortsighted military strategy and anti-Japanese sentiment following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
Booklist Reviews
*Starred Review* During WWII, newspapers, films, and the U.S. government regularly reminded citizens that they were fighting totalitarian governments whose populations were in constant fear of a "knock on the door," followed by rapid transport to a concentration camp. It is a sad and cruel irony that Japanese Americans, citizens and noncitizens, lived under a similar fear. The forced relocation and internment of people was a racially based insult to our purported ideals. Reeves, an award-winning journalist, recounts the unfolding of this outrage with a justifiable sense of moral indignation. He reminds us that this was a national failure as he indicts political leaders, the courts, and ordinary citizens, many of whom were resentful of the success and prosperity of their Japanese neighbors. Although there was virtually no violent resistance, the Japanese did fight against their internment in the halls of Congress and the court system, which helped ameliorate conditions within the camps. Reeves lays out the broad outlines of the "roundup" and the structure of the camps, but he is at his best when he chronicles the experiences of particular families whose lives were ripped apart by what they went through, even as some of their young men chose to honorably serve in the military of the country that continued to detain their relatives. This is a painful but necessary and timely reminder of how overblown fears about national security can have shameful consequences.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Reeves' books always prove popular in public libraries and this one will be no exception. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.
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