My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story

by George Takei, Michelle Lee (Illustrator)

A moving, beautifully illustrated true story for children ages 6 to 9 about growing up in Japanese American incarceration camps during World War II—from the iconic Star Trek actor, activist, and author of the New York Times bestselling graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy.

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.

Genres: Picture Books, History, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Childrens, Historical

48 pages, Hardcover

First published April 16, 2024

About the author

George Hosato Takei is an American actor best known for his role in the TV series Star Trek, in which he played the helmsman Hikaru Sulu on the USS Enterprise. His baritone earned Takei recurring appearances as the announcer for The Howard Stern Show starting on January 9, 2006, after that show's move to satellite radio.

Reviews

[Jennifer Eckert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Takei does a great job of making this hard story accessible to young readers. The soft illustrations help make it not too overwhelming, but the book still presents the facts. Some illustrations include depictions of primary sources, which could be a jumping off point to include those primary sources in a lesson. There’s also a lot of great back matter, including real pictures of Takei and his family at the time of their incarceration. Recommended.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

There can never be enough picture books about the Incarceration of Japanese Americans, and, honestly, there are far too few. But this one is exceptional. I'm not sure how many kids these days really know about Star Trek or know George Takei from his acting career, but I think it is wonderful that he is continuing to share his story as an American citizen incarcerated as a child because of his race -- and that many children will know him for those stories. Well illustrated, well-told -- this is a book that every child should know.

[Steph Carr (LiteraryHypeWoman) · Rating 5 out of 5]

George mentioned this book during a comic con panel and I immediately downloaded and read it. It tells his story of going to Japanese internment campus during world War 2, but a level for kids. It comes off joyful despite the circumstances and opens the door for conversations between kids and parents. The art is also great!

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gorgeous picture book written by George Takei! I love his graphic novel and I will be adding this one to my collection. It's long....too long for younger audiences...but introducing to Kindergarten or first graders would be perfect.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've learned about George Takei's World War II experiences in his autobiography, his graphic memoir, his Broadway musical, and now this picture book.

The graphic novel was the most powerful version, I think, but this one serves as a worthwhile if slightly too wordy introduction for children to such an important and still very relevant topic.

[Regine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This makes me weep. Kudos to Takei for continuing to tell his story of incarceration as a bewildered Japanese-American child, the struggles of his family to cope with war and its aftermath, the achievement of professional success as an actor, and work for the acknowledgment and redress of the wrongs done. His belief in the values of a vibrant and diverse democracy shines through. It gives me hope.

[Addy]

beautiful pictures, good story, and i like the ending of the book that gives more information for adults (who i imagine reading this book with their kids after their kids just pulled it off the shelf at the library). i still prefer the graphic novel, but this is good for young audiences

[Amy Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Banning books is not ok. This is history and very well suited for an elementary classroom.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story

I Picked Up This Book Because: Saw on IG.

Media Type: eBook
Source: P Public Library
Dates Read: 4/7/25 - 4/7/25
Rating: 5 Stars

The Story:

As an African American woman, I’ve been exposed to the tragedies of the slave trade and the Jim Crow era and even the discrimination that still happens to my people today. I’ve learned a lot of the genocide of the Jewish people. I’ve been to the local Holocaust Museum. But here I sit at my big age, and I have never been exposed to what happened in Japanese Internment Camps. I had no idea there were only ten camps. I didn’t know how they were allowed to live. I didn’t realize the camps had different levels of security. This story was eye opening for me. I realize I need to spend more of my time becoming educated on this time in history. Thank you Mr. Takei for sharing your story and thank you to my local library for making it easily available.

[Fahula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook to enjoy George Takei’s narration, then examined the picture book, as well. The back matter of the book includes more details and photos from his childhood. He manages to write about this difficult part of history in a way that educates, without being heavy on blame or despair for what he had lost. I think his story is an important one to be told in a time where people distance themselves from those they see and fear as others.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was very strange to listen to this as an audiobook, but it was nice to hear George's voice. I think maybe I missed something without the pictures? The only reason I'm docking at points is because I wanted more. I want to hear the entire story, the gritty details of what it is like, more on the feelings of your country betraying you and then having to reintegrate into that society.

[Lisbeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted more from this. I feel the subject matter was softened, and the text was dumbed down, to match a target audience who I believe could handle more. I will try reading the author's graphic novel.

[Wendi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a heavy subject. Takei has a gift for storytelling in general. Here he has done an amazing job of telling a heavy story in such a way that is non-traumatic for a young audience and allows for understanding and processing of such a complex part of history.

[Elizabeth Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

please read the review all thoroughly ... i am reviewing a Kindle FIRE, reading due to a local library leaning program, which goes through my Amazon account, so i don't who is in charge there, whether is it something Amazon related or?? ...so that means the book is in the middle of the kindle FIRE screen ...so that means all illustrations and text are in the middle (normally i would take my 2 fingers and cause the illustrations and text to increase in size, widen the frame but it doesn't happen with this book?) ...so that means super tiny ...unreadable ...some pages are the right color so i can read because of the combination of right background and ability to read ... but most of the pages are not a good coloring to be read ...so you are just seeing the illustrations ...which are great to see and be seen ...so the feature of being enlarged is not available in this book, no clue why some kindle FIRE books have that feature but this is not one. at the end of the book are 2 pages full of Mr. George Takei family history and i would really wish to see it up close but i can not ... do to not having that feature. no clue if is a Amazon thing, publisher or what? please add that feature. for that reason i would recommend that you do buy a real hand held book not a kindle fire copy ...unreadable. i can enjoy pics (illustrations) and that is it.

[Kristyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this is clearly a children's book, adults should absolutely read it.

During WWII, a kid born in America was treated like a threat just because of his family's background.

Eighty years later... are we really doing better?

This is a great read for parents, teachers, or anyone who cares about not repeating the sins of our history.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really important and good but for older kids (or adults!) - it's a lot to take in for a picture book.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent picture book published in 2024.
A story from a young Japanese boys perspective/experiences during world war 2. Beautiful illustrations and several paragraphs on each page. It’s informative and yet doesn’t overwhelm a young reader with details.

[Cayla]

Emotional read. George Takei narrates the audiobook, recalling a difficult chapters in his childhood.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much. Interesting and enlightening!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Add this important picture book to a collection about Japanese incarceration camps along with other titles such as So Far from the Sea and Takei's graphic memoir for older readers, They Called Us Enemy, which is equally as good as this one. Intended for a younger audience, this book's focus is on young George's experiences in those camps--first at the Santa Anita racetracks, next at Camp Rohwer, Arkansas, and finally at Tule Lake, California. Because the perspective is that of a young child, it is all the more relatable for its intended audience. The narrative leans heavily on the roles his parents played in making camp life endurable and as pleasant as possible under the circumstances. His mother was always trying to spruce up their living spaces, making curtains, braiding rugs, and taking care of the children when they became ill while his father, who spoke English and Japanese fluently, took on a leadership role in the camp communities. Somehow, they found ways to laugh and look forward to being free once again. George even describes befriending a small black dog, Blackie, at one of the camps, and having to leave him behind when the family was finally released. Although Takei puts a positive spin on some of the events described here and the story ends on a hopeful note, he also is quick to point out how the family lost its freedom, its business, and its savings. The back matter is worth a read too since it elaborates on what happened to Japanese Americans during WWII and shares Takei's stirring words given during the 1981 hearings on the imprisonment of Japanese Americans. Created with watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, and digital media, the illustrations are soft in tone, effectively depicting life before the incarceration, the train trips to the camps, the camp settings themselves, and the many individuals who took similar journeys. During this time of polarization in our country and a tendency of some folks to demonize certain groups, Takei's story is exceptionally moving, a cautionary tale for today.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Takei, better known to some as Star Trek's Mr. Sulu, opens this very personal book with a letter to readers. In it he offers a concise history of America's launch into WWII and how the bombing of Pearl Harbor generated racial hatred, soon followed by imprisonment of all generations of Japanese Americans, even those born in this country and those with full citizenship. His childhood memories included those typical of California kids before the war began, but then dominated by the consequences of those unjust changes on the lives of him and his family and community. Incorporating archival photos, and era-evoking illustrations, Takei's text introduces him and his family to readers, including maps and proclamations with full text that adult reading partners are likely to explore. Their abrupt relocation, requiring them to leave behind most of their belongings and furnishings, crowding them and many others onto transports and into makeshift, degrading housing, including horse stables that stunk of manure and strung with webs and bugs.

That sounds painful, and it certainly was, including disease-spread that sickened many children, including George and his baby brother. Throughout the challenging years, George's parents worked hard to calm and normalize their conditions. His father couched their travel and settlement as a vacation and adventure. His mother cleaned and improvised from rags and scraps to arrange even the smallest quarters as a home, including braiding rugs. Among those sharing the hardship, skills and resources were bartered and shared generously. This included community organizing and communicating with the powers in charge. When loyalty statements were demanded, careful reading by his parents led them to refuse to sign the wording, resulting in punishments and another family move to a "high risk" camp with even more controls.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

George Takei was four years old when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and President Roosevelt declared war on Japan. Soon all Japanese - regardless of their citizenship - were rounded up and locked away in internment camps scattered across the country. All of their assets were confiscated by the American government. This is George's story of this important aspect of his life. His parents were truly amazing and handled their captivity well. His father was a natural leader. Fluent in both English and Japanese, he was able to help other people that were incarcerated with them. He felt the injustice of the treatment they received but never lost faith in America.
Takei's family lived in a horse stable for the first few months before they were relocated to Arkansas. After a year in Arkansas, America decided they needed incarcerated Japanese men to fight in the war. Even though they were imprisoned. Ponder that for a while. Anyway - George's father basically refused to fight so the family was relocated to the higher security Tule Lake camp. Lots of barbed wire, armed guards, and tank patrols.
This was far from a normal childhood but George still relates fond memories from that time. Then the war was over and the Japanese were kicked out into a world that still resented them. It took a lot of hard work but George's family was finally able to purchase a home again.

Obviously, George Takei tells his story much more eloquently than I ever could - so be sure to read this one and share it with your kids or classrooms. It's a story that needs to be reiterated again and again. Fear drives people to do crazy things.

[Brooke - TheBrookeList · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Lost Freedom is George Takei's Japanese American war story, but also a glimpse at the past that resonates with children. Unlike most texts about the Japanese American incarcerations, this childhood version speaks to things that children relate to well: puppies, snowballs, funny names, vacations, friends, and tadpoles. He explains a difficult concept to children in a way they can relate to. The illustrations are bright and detailed watercolors, that exude the light and warmth of the Japanese American community, while still managing to convey the seriousness of those difficult years. The black and white images in the endpapers bring the story to life again, showing slices of the reality and the face of the actor some may recognize. My children were engrossed with the audiobook reading as well, narrated by the talented actor and author. His narration pulled them in in a way most non-fiction stories would not - it was as though a beloved grandfather were sitting down to tell them a captivating, exciting, but important childhood story.

I recently read George Takei's graphic novel for teens on this same topic (They Called Us Enemy), and while the two held similarities, he did an excellent job adapting for the two different audiences, breeching various concerns, and relating different interests (teen version broaches arguments with father during teen years, etc.) It carries a little more fire and political activism for the teen audience.

Read as a nomination in the nonfiction book award category as a panelist for Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (Cybils Awards).

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: Hi, I'm George Takei, an eighty-seven-year-old actor.

Premise/plot: My Lost Freedom is a picture book biography for older readers. It is an autobiographical picture book of George Takei's time in several Japanese Internment camps during the Second World War. He was a young child--a very young child, just four years old. His earliest memories, his core memories, if you will, were formed in these war years. The picture book shares about this time in American history through a personal lens. It is personal yet broader than that.

It would be easy to assume that this is a bleak, glummy, downer of a book. But it isn't. The book shares memories of his family life, his friendships, his community. I think he was young enough to not know just how unjust and wrong it was. Know might be a very poor word choice, feel to the depths of his soul might be better but more wordy. I think his memories would be different if he'd been twelve or thirteen when he entered the camp with his family. I also am guessing that his family chose to make the best of an absolutely horrible situation. I think they chose to make it as much a home as possible for their children.

My thoughts: I didn't know what to expect from this one. I'd read a few books for older readers (middle grade, high school, adult) on this subject. These especially from older perspectives are rightly so angry and bitter. This may be the youngest 'memoir' perspective I've read. It does include plenty of general information about this time period in history.

Easily a five-star read.

[Janet McGuire · Rating 5 out of 5]

George Takei is best known as Lieutenant Sulu from the television series, Star Trek. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, President Roosevelt ordered all people of Japanese descent to internment camps and labeled them as enemy aliens. This would change George's life forever. Even though George was born in the United States and was truly a Japanese American. George and his family were sent to an internment camp at Santa Anita racetrack. The family was put in a horse stall which was to be their new home. George's father became a leader with the other families that were displaced and did everything he could to help them. They were moved to Camp Rohwer in swampy Arkansas and were moved again to Tule Lake in Northern California. George's parents tried their best to make sure all the children as well as the adults were safe and tried to occupy their thoughts by organizing sports, movie nights and other activities. This book is from George's childhood perspective. It will keep the audience's attention as they realize that the children in the story were the same age as they are now. The book has a glossary and pronunciation as well as primary source material from George's life. it also includes an apology from the United States from President Reagan in 1988. The illustrations by Michelle Lee are done with watercolors, colored pencils, and digital media. The illustrations are muted when depicting the internment camps.
Recommended for ages 6 to 9 by the SEPA Book Reviewer.

[Nicole | elocinrhom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I get into the review of the book, I think this is best treated as an immersion read. Michelle Lee's illustrations are beautiful and George Takei narrates the audiobook so well.

Every American should read this and compare it to what's going on right now. As Churchill stated after WW2, "Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." This is written for children, so he does sugar coat a lot of it, but as adults, we can read between the lines. And definitely don't skip the author's note, where George goes into a bit more detail for the adults. I had to highlight a couple of lines from that section.

"I had many after-dinner conversations with Daddy about camp. Why were we in camp? Why didn't America's laws protect us?

"They should have," Daddy said. "We live in a democracy, a government for the people. We must participate actively in the process of democracy to achieve equal justice for all and to keep terrible things from happening. We have a duty to be the people who give democracy its meaning and its worth."

"Injury was done to those very ideals we hold as fundamental to our American system. We, all of us as Americans, must strive to redeem those precepts that faltered years ago when I was a boy."

We're doing this all over again and Americans are just letting it happen. It'll take us decades to recover from the actions of the past three months. I would send a copy of this book to our leaders if I thought they'd actually read and understand what George put to page.

[Terri Gulyas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for bringing the topic to light for many. This book would be great for parents to use to have a discussion with younger children. Takei's book "They Called Us Enemy" was excellent for upper elementary and middle school students although it would be insightful for some adults as well. Naomi Hirahara's book "Clark and Division" addresses some of the problems with relocation to Chicago after release from an internment camp. It's so hard to believe this happened to American citizens and I hope we don't see it come to pass again. I'm currently reading "Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in WWII" by Daniel James Brown and it's riveting. Despite being a great student and a voracious reader of multicultural literature and history, I had not learned anything about this until I visited the California History Museum in Sacramento, CA in 2017. I was incredulous that I was so ignorant about this devastation but am working to learn more. If you read My Lost Freedom, be sure to read Takei's notes in the beginning and his testimony to the Congressional Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Citizens summary at the end. For more information, go to https://www.archives.gov/research/jap....

[Sam The Book Dog · Rating 5 out of 5]

George Takei's My Lost Freedom tells his first hand account of the executive order from President Franklin Delanor Roosevelt--The Japanese Internment Act--that went into effect after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941.

All Japanese-Americans--even those born here--were rounded up and sent to internment (concentration) camps. Takei beautifully recalls his memories as a small child and the sights and smells of living in converted horse stalls and being surrounded by layers of barbed wire fences and tanks with their guns trained on the families held inside. He also recalls his father's organization of the people to create community--a baseball league, poetry nights, dances. He recalls his mother creating home in the midst of this. He also recalls what happened to the Japanese-Americans, who refused to be drafted for the WWII European battlefront and those who spoke out against these consequences.

It is an undertold part of American history that I am glad is appearing in books for children and teens in recent years. My grandfather fought the Nazis in Europe, and I am incredibly proud of him for that. I have Japanese American friends whose grandparents have different memories of the American 1940's. I'm very grateful for books like this one that tell a broader story of our American history.

Also, the illustrations are beautiful!

[Briceli Alfaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some stories show us the true meaning of strength and courage. In My Lost Freedom by George Takei, the author shares what it was like growing up in an internment camp during World War II after his family was forced to leave their home because they were Japanese American. I thought the story was emotional and eye opening. The main themes in this book are injustice, resilience, and family, showing how people can stay strong and hopeful even in unfair and hard situations. The genre of this book is historical nonfiction/memoir. Through reading this, I learned about an important part of history and how fear can lead to prejudice. This was a WOW book for me because it made me feel empathy and reminded me how powerful hope and love can be even during dark times.


George Takei used imagery and emotion to help readers picture what life was like in the camps and understand how painful it was for families who lost everything. He also used first person narration, which made the story feel real and personal, like he was talking directly to the reader. These techniques made the book powerful and easy to connect with. I would consider this an anti bias book because it teaches about the dangers of racism and prejudice, and it helps kids understand why equality and respect for others matter so much.

[Wren]

George Takei shares his memories (bolstered by interviewing his father in subsequent years) of his time in two Japanese internment camps during World War II. George was only 4 years old when he was first interred.

His account emphasizes his mother's resourcefulness (by smuggling in a sewing machine and working with others to have necessities built with what could be scavenged) and his father's leadership skills and believe in democracy (he was made lot leader, and after they were released he started an employment center in LA for Japanese Americans while also running a dry cleaning business AND he encouraged his children to participate in democracy; George was elected to a school leadership position).

Takei explains fun memories (such as befriending a stray dog) and difficult memories (losing all of their possessions to the government).

The backmatter includes a glossary with pronunciations and information about his parents life after imprisonment. Also, it explains how lobbyists and activists finally convinced the US government to issue an apology, which sadly came a few years after Takei's father passed away.

It is good to retain stories like this in our collective memory to hopefully prevent injustices like this from happening again.