Minjee's Reviews > Citizen 13660

another class reading! it's a graphic novel (kinda) so it was a pretty quick read. definitely wouldn't have enjoyed/appreciated it as much as I did if I hadn't read the introduction & discussed the larger historical context of WWII Japanese American incarceration in class.

because cameras or recording devices of any kind weren't allowed in the camps, okubo began to draw scenes from everyday life there. the US gov was very much aware of her drawings and her intention to publish them in a book once she left the camp. they were keenly interested and saw her as "valuable" in the project to re-assimilate Japanese Americans back into American society post-WWII. the book was published in 1946 with the endorsement of various US gov officials.

ben is taking a class on borderlines and liminality rn and i told him this book was so benji-coded bc in her drawings, okubo often includes herself as a spectator in the bottom corner -- throughout the book she is very much on the borderlines, a spectator as well as a Japanese American who is very much living the experience that she is keeping a record of. highly recommend overall!!