February 19, 1942. George Takei is four years old when his world changes forever. Two months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares anyone of Japanese descent an enemy of the United States.
George and his family were American in every way. They had done nothing wrong. But because of their Japanese ancestry, they were removed from their home in California and forced into camps with thousands of other families who looked like theirs.
Over the next three years, George had three different "homes" the Santa Anita racetrack, swampy Camp Rohwer, and infamous Tule Lake. But even though they were now living behind barbed wire fences and surrounded by armed soldiers, his mother and father did everything they could to keep the family safe.
In My Lost Freedom, George Takei looks back at his own memories to help children today understand what it feels like to be treated as an enemy by your own country. Featuring powerful, meticulously researched watercolor paintings, this is a story of a family's courage, a young boy's resilience, and the importance of staying true to yourself in the face of injustice.
Michelle Lee is an illustrator and author who has been drawing since she could hold a pencil. Her illustrated book My Love for You Is Always received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and BookPage. As an Angeleno and an Asian American, Michelle felt a resonance with George's story. She lives and works in the same area of Los Angeles where the story begins and ends.
"This worthwhile picture book introduces an important topic in American history." --Booklist
"Takei's narration is contemplative but conversational, inviting the reader to see his experience both through the eyes of his child self and the somber reflections of an adult....relatable but terribly bittersweet." --The Bulletin