In 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, mandating the removal of Japanese Americans from their homes. Nearly 120,000 Japanese immigrants and native born Japanese Americans were imprisoned in concentration camps for the duration of World War II. Now, 80 years later at a time of racial reckoning, we need to bear witness to the atrocities committed by the United States government and the pain our leadership caused innocent men, women, and children of Japanese heritage—most of whom were loyal citizens.
The Day of Remembrance, observed annually on February 19, is an opportunity to not only acknowledge this national atrocity but also to honor the lives and listen to stories of individuals and families who were profoundly affected. These 10 books, some written by survivors of the camps and others by their descendants, will give you a deeper understanding of the history of mass incarceration during World War II and its impact on Japanese American communities. We've included memoirs, histories, novels, and even a play. Here are the stories of children who survived the Japanese internment camps, of Japanese American lawyers fighting for justice, and of fictional characters struggling to adjust to life after being imprisoned. Told from various perspectives and in many styles, each of these audiobooks offers a different way to understand and reflect on this shameful piece of American history, so that we may never repeat it.
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