Michi Challenges History: From Farm Girl to Costume Designer to Relentless Seeker of the Truth: The Life of Michi Nishiura Weglyn

by Ken Mochizuki

A powerful biography of Michi Weglyn, the Japanese American fashion designer whose activism fueled a movement for recognition of and reparations for America’s World War II concentration camps. The daughter of Japanese immigrants, Michi Nishiura Weglyn was confined in Arizona’s Gila River concentration camp during World War II. She later became a costume designer for Broadway and worked as the wardrobe designer for some of the most popular television personalities of the ’50s and early ’60s. In 1968, after a televised statement by the US Attorney General that concentration camps in America never existed, Michi embarked on an eight-year solo quest through libraries and the National Archives to expose and account for the existence of the World War II camps where she and other Japanese Americans were imprisoned. Her research became a major catalyst for passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, in which the US government admitted that its treatment of Japanese Americans during World War II was wrong.        Thoroughly researched and intricately told, Michi Changes History is a masterful portrayal of one woman’s fight for the truth―and for justice. 25 illustrations

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, Politics, Social Justice

160 pages, Hardcover

Published March 14, 2023

Reviews

[Minh Ngo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher WW Norton, and the author Ken Mochizuki for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. As someone who has read a number of Japanese American internment literature, I welcome the addition of discovering more works in this body and canon of work. I find the history personal as an Asian-American living near places of Japanese American history (i.e. in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle, and Tacoma). Learning about the unjust dispossession, displacement, and incarceration of Japanese-Americans continues to be relevant today to the deportation of Latine and Southeast Asian people. Before I read this work, I was only familiar with Yuri Kochiyama as a figure of Japanese American reparations, but through Mochizuki's labor and care work I learned about Michi as well. Mochizuki gives a brief overview that introduces Michi to the reader and has made me aware of her work and curious enough to read it. I'm glad Mochizuki also mentions and details the internment of Japanese-Latine people. I appreciate Mochizuki's efforts in crafting and researching this history and opening up the dimensions of this event for me. Because of Mochizuki, I want to learn more about Michi and Japanese-Latine people. Thank you Mochizuki for your work.

[Hikari · Rating 4 out of 5]

The internment of Japanese-Americans in camps is one of the dark moments in American history. If you’ve not read much about these sinister events then this short book is an excellent starting point. It tells the story of this dark moment through a biography of a Japanese-American lady, Michi, who was forcibly held in one of these camps then published a history of the camps in the 1970s in response to the US government denying that these camps had ever existed. In the 1980s, the US government passed a bill admitting these camps were wrong and awarding compensation to any still living survivors.

In this biography, Michi comes through as an extremely bright child and full of compassion with a big smile. The injustice that she was locked up solely on the basis of her ethnicity, despite winning awards for her academics, is brought out well. There are lots of photographs throughout the book of both Michi as well as life in the camps and some of the legal documents which “permitted” the holding of Japanese-Americans in these camps.

A well written introduction to both Michi and the camps. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Emi Yoshida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm embarrassed at not having already read Michi Nishiura Weglyn's Years of Infamy, but am all the more inspired to do so after reading Ken Mochizuki's edifying tribute to her life and work. Reading this has clarified so many different things I've studied, read and heard about over the years, yet lacked context for as a Japanese-American without family who'd experienced the camps. Despite my having been actively involved with the JACL in the early 2000s, I could never understand why the organization was so vilified in the NoNo Boys book, but now I get it. The photos and background provided are riveting. Readers don't have to be Japanese or Asian to appreciate this book, the research that went in to it, the integrity it celebrates, and the racism its heroine calls out. And although it's classified as Middle Grade Nonfiction, I have to say I got a lot out of it as an aged parent of high schoolers, and will definitely be encouraging my teens to read this as well.

Michi Challenges History is due for publication March 14, 2023. Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for the ARC.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very interesting learning about the life of Michi Weglyn. Michi grew up in California and was the daughter of Japanese immigrants. Michi was unreasonably forced from her home and placed in concentration camps during WWII. Michi grew to become a prominent name in the fashion industry, working on TV and variety shows. Later in life she became an author and activist- finding the real reason behind concentration camps. Her book began the start of US admitting the truth. Part of Mochizuki’s book title says it all “from farm girl to costume designer to relentless seeker of the truth” - Michi’s story is one to be shared and known to all!

[Jennybeast · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really powerful biography of a fascinating woman -- and a really good example of how one person can change the course of history and call political leaders on their egregious behavior. The biography itself is a well documented yet accessible read. I wish it had a more engaging cover, because it's important to revisit the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II and reflect on the enormous harm that America dealt them.

[Jennie Mull · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book! Michi was truly a legendary figure and I’m disappointed I never learned about her before this. The information was all very digestible, intriguing, and made me eager to learn more. I loved the photos included as well. It may have been designed for young readers, but I’m 23 and it felt like an adult book too!

[Christian Davell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent account of an activist not talked about enough and exposes the political and racist motivations around one of the darkest chapters in American history and how a decision can reverberate through time with lasting consequences. More people should understand what happened to Japanese Americans (and Japanese Latin Americans) during this time and why it happened so we can avoid repetition.

[Dean Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book written for young readers that is not for young readers only. A much-appreciated introduction to Michi Nishiura Weglyn.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that an adult and a child can both appreciate and learn something as they read. Mochizuki did his research and presented us with a wonderful accounting of Michi's life and her motivations. I'm happy to see this addition to the genre of Japanese-American history.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I hope it finds its way to many families!

[Charessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Norton Young for sending me an physical ARC of this book to review.

This book was a fascinating, phenomenal read that taught me so much about an often left-out part of World War II education. I knew the camps the Japanese were sent to were awful, but the extent of such and the dangerous decision to try and erase it from history were never taught in any school I went to.

Ken Mochizuki does an excellent job of relaying Michi's story--her history, her activism, her multifaceted work--into an easily-digestible read. Her dedication to making sure redress for those forced into camps happened and that none of this shameful history would be forgotten was huge and it should be part of WWII curriculum. I think this biography is an excellent start for that.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michi is an inspiration!! Her story highlights the influence of American propaganda in many ways. From the internment of Japanese Americans to the revisionist history American politicians try to push. I think this would be a great book for 4th grade and up!