Blindsided: The Life and Times of Sam Mihara

by Alexandra Villarreal

"Sam Mihara was 9 years old when the U.S. government imprisoned him and his family in desolate Northern Wyoming. Three years in government custody would change his life forever. Filled with grief, loss, and hope, his story is for readers who wasn't to learn more about America's forgotten mistakes and discover how to prevent future tragedies like Japanese incarceration during World War II."

121 pages, Paperback

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

As part of the library's programs for One Book One Coast, for which I read George Takei's They Called Us Enemy, I attended a talk by Sam Mihara who was nine years old when he was incarcerated in the Japanese internment camp Heart Mountain, WY. This is the book he wrote (with Alexandra Villarreal) of his experiences. It's a companion to the talks he has given for the last 15 years of his experiences. To hear him tell it, he was not planning on spending his retirement on speaking tours but I am grateful for his dedication to telling his story and asking us all to make sure it doesn't happen again.

[Selena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learned a few nuggets about Pomona and HM and Sam's experiences, but overall a repeat of all other JA incarceration books. I am also disappointed at how little there was about his father going blind, which is what I've been hoping to learn about. Sam didn't even mention the Braille board even though there's a picture.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thought provoking account of a Japanese American who was held in an internment camp during WWII.

[Robbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick and thought provoking read about the unjust mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during WW2.