“If it finds difficulty in navigating the narrative it is in finding the right balance between offering the complexity of the political situation around him and streamlining its presentation for the format of the work.”

That Takei has produced this necessary graphic memoir/history is vitally important, as it clearly opens the door for many in the United States to learning about a much-omitted chapter of our race relations; and for younger readers, it is a gentler (while educational) initial step into understanding ourselves, how our history is created for us, how we be a more powerful democracy for knowing it.

Takei is clear where his youthful memory ends and his historical research begins, stepping back from his moments in these internment camps–some painful, some sentimental–to offer us political background, court cases, speeches of key congressional figures. He also offers us a stark look at the transition back, not just for his family, but for tens of thousands of others. He also offers several pages of historical records and photographs which solidify the illustrated text.

The story is well told, personal and focused. And its sincerity is genuine, of course. If it finds difficulty in navigating the narrative it is in finding the right balance between offering the complexity of the political situation around him and streamlining its presentation for the format of the work. There are no easy answers to it: hopefully, what he reveals is enough to provoke readers to search more. In this way, Takei and his team may have done well to offer directions for readers new to this dark history to explore further.

Even so, for youthful readers, perhaps those as early as ages 8 or 10, this is powerful stuff. For adults who find this book, it’s a worthwhile underscoring of our past to better understand its many consequences today.