Poston: Camp II, Block 211: Daily Life in an Internment Camp

by Jack Matsuoka

Collection of cartoons drawn by the Japanese-American author while he was in the Poston detention camp from 1942 to 1945. Includes explanatory text. Introduction by Edison Uno.

158 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Stella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing that this book exists and that our public library still has a copy. Really interesting looking at these cartoons and the captions for them, done by a teenage boy living in an internment camp and published as a book years later.

[Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found at my grandma’s house. Pretty basic (but still engaging) depiction of camp life. The brief section on high school discussions around the contradictory character of the constitution and liberty was very enlightening. Many of these young Japanese Americans were patriotic and aware of their “inalienable rights.” In some of these conversations, it’s like their JA high schoolers were providing an immanent critique of America, on the basis of the constitution. Unfortunately this couldn’t develop into anything due to the Stalinist CPUSA that supported internment.