Imprisoned: The Betrayal of Japanese Americans During World War II by Martin W. Sandler (review)

Racial prejudice, nativist resentment over immigrant business success, and wartime panic—each was a poisonous element in itself, and combined they led to Executive Order 9066, which mandated the relocation and virtual incarceration of some 120,000 Japanese-American citizens and Japanese residents loyal to the United States. Rapid announcement and enforcement of the order impelled the internees to liquidate personal and business assets at stupefying financial loss and to pack their few remaining possessions in preparation for relocation to unknown destinations. While many settled stoically into crude, makeshift accommodations in the relocation camps, others eager to prove their dedication to their adopted country would take up arms for the national defense. Although this shameful episode in American history receives considerable attention in both fiction and information books for youth, Sandler probes into aspects of the story less often covered in work that focuses narrowly on the camps themselves. Here readers learn about Quaker protests against Japanese internment, similar camps in Central and South America, Nisei WACs and interpreters working for the American Armed Forces, generational differences regarding the redress movement, and current Japanese-American collaborations with the Muslim community in support of a group too often viewed as suspect. Cogently organized and heavily illustrated with photographs, with an index, source notes, and lists for "further reading and surfing," this will be a valuable title in the American History collection.