Redress: The Inside Story of the Successful Campaign for Japanese American Reparations

by John Tateishi

This is the unlikely but true story of the Japanese American Citizens League’s fight for an official government apology and compensation for the imprisonment of more than 100,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. Author John Tateishi, himself the leader of the JACL Redress Committee for many years, is first to admit that the task was herculean in scale. The campaign was seeking an unprecedented admission of wrongdoing from Congress. It depended on a unified effort but began with an acutely divided community: for many, the shame of “camp” was so deep that they could not even speak of it; money was a taboo subject; the question of the value of liberty was insulting. Besides internal discord, the American public was largely unaware that there had been concentration camps on US soil, and Tateishi knew that concessions from Congress would only come with mass education about the government’s civil rights violations. Beyond the backroom politicking and verbal fisticuffs that make this book a swashbuckling read, Redress is the story of a community reckoning with what it means to be both culturally Japanese and American citizens; how to restore honor; and what duty it has to protect such harms from happening again. This book has powerful implications as the idea of reparations shapes our national conversation.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, War, World War II, Asian American

384 pages, Hardcover

Published March 3, 2020

About the author

John Tateishi is the former redress director of the Japanese American Citizens League and was a key figure in the campaign for reparations for the Internment of Japanese Americans.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read Color of Law just before this, I am interested to learn the similarities between the Japanese experience and African American’s experience and see where a case can be made for African American Reparations.

I do wish that this book offered more education on the internment experience. This book’s primary focus is on the organization and political action of the JACL’s Redress campaign, not the history leading up to and including internment. That said, it does provide insight into the long term struggle and commitment of the JACL as they sought redress for their unconstitutional and un-American treatment during WWII. The glimpse into the world of activism, mobilization, education campaigns, and legislative action is inspiring for those who want to make change in today’s America.

I appreciate the detail and the tidbits of information that was new to me; however, I didn’t find this book particularly easy to read. The author spends a lot of time discussing JACL internal politics that were less interesting to me than the legislative campaigns. Despite this, this book has left me with a profound sense of gratitude and respect for the work the JACL has undertaken, especially in post 9/11 America.

[Michael Hays · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to thank the publisher and Goodreads for my free copy of this book, I was very excited to win it! As a casual student of history, especially military history and related topics, I thought this would be a fascinating addition to my library. I naively entered the drawing thinking that there would be more focus on the actual camps during the war and, in that regard, I was disappointed. If that is what you are looking for then you may want to check out some other options. However, I found this to be an extremely fascinating and very enlightening study on a normally overlooked chapter of the human rights movement. Nowhere near enough credit is given to the people that had to live through this terrible ordeal or to the people that fought so hard for so long in an effort to right these injustices! This book may not have been what I thought, but I found it to be a very well written, well presented and very informative book that will still make an excellent addition to my library.

[Faith Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful recounting of the journey to redress. John’s writing is accessible and so honest.

[Marleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A behind the scenes review of a remarkable achievement by the Japanese American community, Redress. The issue was the violation of a small population of Americans's rights because there was no way to tell who was a loyal American or not. Therefore everyone was considered guilty and removed from their homes along the west coast. The issue was brought forward as a flagrant violation of our constructional rights which should not happen to anybody. This was tested in the aftermath of 9/11 when all if a sudden an individual perceived as Muslim could be a terrorist.

This was not a smooth process and even the overall goal was heatedly argued about. Every strategy decision had it/ detractors and supporters. Is every organization like this?

[Sinistmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this memoir that covers John Tateishi’s efforts as the leader of the JACL’s campaign to get reparations for the Japanese American community. I liked learning about the different approaches and the journey through the legislative, legal battles, and ongoing advocacy. I enjoyed the way the complexities were portrayed-Tateishi certainly does not hide criticism but he also is compassionate and respectful toward individuals and groups he disagreed with; this read is balanced without taking away anything from these incredible efforts.

The in-depth look into the advocacy and legislative activities will likely interest activists today.

[Marge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a most important book for people who are students of WWII and the fight for reparations made to the Japanese-Americans . Thanks to Goodreads and to John Tateishi for my copy of this gut-wrenching memoir . There is not a detail left out of the author's fight. So much went into the endeavour and most of it was behind the scenes . Against insurmountable odds, justice prevailed. Interestingly, the fight for reparations wasn't for money for the Japanese-Americans but for the promise that something like this would never happen again in this country.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tateishi is telling his story of redress and his story is an interesting one.