We Are Not Free
- Downloads：7478
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-01 09:52:05
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Traci Chee
- ISBN：0358668107
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
* NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST * PRINTZ HONOR BOOK * WALTER HONOR BOOK *
From New York Times best-selling and acclaimed author Traci Chee comes We Are Not Free， the collective account of a tight-knit group of young Nisei， second-generation Japanese American citizens， whose lives are irrevocably changed by the mass U。S。 incarcerations of World War II。
Fourteen teens who have grown up together in Japantown， San Francisco。
Fourteen teens who form a community and a family， as interconnected as they are conflicted。
Fourteen teens whose lives are turned upside down when over 100，000 people of Japanese ancestry are removed from their homes and forced into desolate incarceration camps。
In a world that seems determined to hate them， these young Nisei must rally together as racism and injustice threaten to pull them apart。
From New York Times best-selling and acclaimed author Traci Chee comes We Are Not Free， the collective account of a tight-knit group of young Nisei， second-generation Japanese American citizens， whose lives are irrevocably changed by the mass U。S。 incarcerations of World War II。
Fourteen teens who have grown up together in Japantown， San Francisco。
Fourteen teens who form a community and a family， as interconnected as they are conflicted。
Fourteen teens whose lives are turned upside down when over 100，000 people of Japanese ancestry are removed from their homes and forced into desolate incarceration camps。
In a world that seems determined to hate them， these young Nisei must rally together as racism and injustice threaten to pull them apart。
Reviews
zah
，
"They were afraid of us then。 They're still afraid of us now，" Stan says。 "But we didn't do anything。" "What d'you mean， Minnow？" Stan smirks， but there's a hard edge to his expression， like the blade of an axe。 "We exist。" :'（（（（（（（p。s。 the art at the end made me actually audibly cry oml if only it also included Kiyoshi， Aiko， Yum Yum， Bette， and the others ， while also maybe an art of Twitchy to， you know， hurt the readers more "They were afraid of us then。 They're still afraid of us now，" Stan says。 "But we didn't do anything。" "What d'you mean， Minnow？" Stan smirks， but there's a hard edge to his expression， like the blade of an axe。 "We exist。" :'（（（（（（（p。s。 the art at the end made me actually audibly cry oml if only it also included Kiyoshi， Aiko， Yum Yum， Bette， and the others ， while also maybe an art of Twitchy to， you know， hurt the readers more 。。。more
Debbie
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A wonderful illustration of being a Japanese American during WWII
Christina Hallman
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I started teaching Farewell to Manzanar two years ago and became very interested in Japanese internment camps that were formed in the United States during WWII。 This book is another to add to my classroom library， it looks at 14 teens as they are forced to leave San Francisco to enter Topaz camp。 Although it is not a memoir like Farewell to Manzanar is does give historical background as it affected the lives of not just one but many teens。 I find that I understood more the way life was at the ca I started teaching Farewell to Manzanar two years ago and became very interested in Japanese internment camps that were formed in the United States during WWII。 This book is another to add to my classroom library， it looks at 14 teens as they are forced to leave San Francisco to enter Topaz camp。 Although it is not a memoir like Farewell to Manzanar is does give historical background as it affected the lives of not just one but many teens。 I find that I understood more the way life was at the camps because of this book and makes the reader want to dive more into this dark side of US history。 。。。more
Marcia Adversalo
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Wow。 Living in the midwest I learned nothing about the relocation of Japanese Americans。 I knew it happened， but from a sentence or so in a history book。 This really opened my eyes。 I know it's fiction， but there is so much history in here that I never knew。 I'm so glad that I read this。 I'm better for knowing what I didn't know before。 Wow。 Living in the midwest I learned nothing about the relocation of Japanese Americans。 I knew it happened， but from a sentence or so in a history book。 This really opened my eyes。 I know it's fiction， but there is so much history in here that I never knew。 I'm so glad that I read this。 I'm better for knowing what I didn't know before。 。。。more
Beth Robertson
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An important part of our history and inspiring perseverance。
Susan
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This isn't the first novel I've read about the Japanese-American incarceration camps and while both of my parents were born after WWII， I'm fairly certain that one more generation back in my family tree were family members who wanted the Japanese imprisoned in these camps。 I can only hope a few of my ancestors were like the young white girl at the end screaming at her parents about how wrong their behavior and thoughts were。 Then again， how loud am I screaming now about the injustices happening This isn't the first novel I've read about the Japanese-American incarceration camps and while both of my parents were born after WWII， I'm fairly certain that one more generation back in my family tree were family members who wanted the Japanese imprisoned in these camps。 I can only hope a few of my ancestors were like the young white girl at the end screaming at her parents about how wrong their behavior and thoughts were。 Then again， how loud am I screaming now about the injustices happening in this country？Chee sets WE ARE NOT FREE up as a cohesive story told through a compilation of short stories。 This novel focuses on 14 teens who are from Japantown， San Francisco。 They've grown up together， they protect each other， they are the awkward generation of children growing up as Americans but who are being raised by parents who are immigrants。 They are neither American enough nor Japanese enough。I thought it was really compelling to see the experience of being sent to incarceration camps and being sent to fight for a country that doesn't want you， through so many different eyes。 Each voice is unique， each viewpoint is different。 But it helps to add to the feeling that this happened to a lot of people。 And while I KNEW it was impossible for all 14 teens to make it out alive， I was gutted and sobbing at a certain point in the narrative。More people need to read this， to really listen to what Chee is saying through the voices of these 14 teens。 As Chee says in their acknowledgements， "it has happened， in other forms and with other faces， to other communities and other individuals all over the world。 It is happening right now， and it will happen again。 We cannot allow it to happen again。" 。。。more
Jael
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Absolutely heart wrenching， specially now a days where it is not that easy to overlook the sense of discrimination and hate that still exists。
Maria
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This was so good I had to read it for school honestly this is by far one of the books I’ve read so far in school！ It is a bit sad in my opinion but you will learn a bit。 I think this book is pretty important because we don’t learn about it enough in school。
christiana
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This holds such a powerful message。 Everyone should read it💜💜
Lindsay Coppens
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Although it took me a while to read this book， and because each chapter was from a different character’s perspective， I found myself struggling at times to keep them and their connections straight （although the chart at the front of the book helped a lot）， this story of a group of young people’s experiences at Japanese internment camps during WWII was powerful and got stronger and more emotional as the layers built together。 I loved the weaving of illustrations and historical documents and the v Although it took me a while to read this book， and because each chapter was from a different character’s perspective， I found myself struggling at times to keep them and their connections straight （although the chart at the front of the book helped a lot）， this story of a group of young people’s experiences at Japanese internment camps during WWII was powerful and got stronger and more emotional as the layers built together。 I loved the weaving of illustrations and historical documents and the various narrative styles。 Overall， it was powerful， lyrical and eye-opening。 。。。more
Jaime Elizabeth
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Plot was brilliant。 History was brilliant。 And I loved the things I learned from this book。 However， wasn’t a fan of the writing or the characters themselves。 There were way too many to keep track of and I felt like this book would have been better with one POV。
Tia Schmidt
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A very easy 4。5 star read！ Absolutely heartbreaking and powerful。 Wow。The fact that less than a century ago we imprisoned every single person of Japanese descent in the United States and RARELY ever talk about it is。。。 so fucking American。 I learned about the internment camps while I was in middle school I believe， but not at length by any means。 It was really just a， "oh， right。 we did that。 ANYWAYS。。。 about what was happening in Europe。"。 Don't get me wrong， world history and what was happenin A very easy 4。5 star read！ Absolutely heartbreaking and powerful。 Wow。The fact that less than a century ago we imprisoned every single person of Japanese descent in the United States and RARELY ever talk about it is。。。 so fucking American。 I learned about the internment camps while I was in middle school I believe， but not at length by any means。 It was really just a， "oh， right。 we did that。 ANYWAYS。。。 about what was happening in Europe。"。 Don't get me wrong， world history and what was happening in Europe is also extremely important， but the fact that I learned more about the internment camps from a 10-hour YA historical fiction than I did in my entire academic career is。。。 extremely unsettling to me。I'm feeling SO lucky and grateful to have access to books like this that teach me everything the American education system failed to。 This book is a MUST read！ Only gave it 4。5 instead of a 5 because there are so many main characters and I kept getting some of their connections confused in the beginning。 Besides that， this was a perfect book！ Highly recommend。 。。。more
Hayley
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This book is a masterclass in storytelling and piecing together different forms of writing。 It is absolutely brilliant！ It made me smile， laugh， and cry （chapter 14 hit me so hard）。 I genuinely can't recommend this book enough！ This book is a masterclass in storytelling and piecing together different forms of writing。 It is absolutely brilliant！ It made me smile， laugh， and cry （chapter 14 hit me so hard）。 I genuinely can't recommend this book enough！ 。。。more
Kara Bergerson
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I listened to this on audiobook and it was so well done！ This was such a heartbreaking yet hopeful story of 14 teens who are put into Japanese Incarceration camps during WWII。 I did have to check out a hard copy just so I could have a list of all the characters on hand。 Everyone should read this moving and powerful book。
Jory
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I really loved this book。 It made me smile， laugh and cry。 Yeah it was really sad but also happy。 I loved all the characters， and I felt that I could keep track of basically all of them。 At the end though I couldn't remember who was dating who really but that did not take anything away。I love love love friendship story's。 Just story of a group of friends being friends。 I really loved this book。 It made me smile， laugh and cry。 Yeah it was really sad but also happy。 I loved all the characters， and I felt that I could keep track of basically all of them。 At the end though I couldn't remember who was dating who really but that did not take anything away。I love love love friendship story's。 Just story of a group of friends being friends。 。。。more
Karen Kolus
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I am gutted。
Meaghan
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4。25
Patricia Faithfull
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Brilliant。 Just brilliant。 Story， structure， characters。 All of it。
Layma
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Halfway through reading this I watched the documentary called "Resistance at Tule Lake" and from then on the book seemed to be a fictional transcript of that film。 It is very， very didactic to the point where I felt like it should have been a nonfiction book instead， simplified for young readers， but without the clunky prose and interchangeable characters who had exactly one voice between all of them。 This book is a good starting point for teenagers who don't know anything AT ALL about the incar Halfway through reading this I watched the documentary called "Resistance at Tule Lake" and from then on the book seemed to be a fictional transcript of that film。 It is very， very didactic to the point where I felt like it should have been a nonfiction book instead， simplified for young readers， but without the clunky prose and interchangeable characters who had exactly one voice between all of them。 This book is a good starting point for teenagers who don't know anything AT ALL about the incarceration of Japanese Americans， but for anyone else the story and cringey interactions of the characters are not really worth reading。 。。。more
Janae
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This breaks my heart。 Well-written- there is strong language throughout。
Chelsea
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It's not bad， just boring， which is even worse。 Everything was unspectacular and one-sided， from the characterization to the writing。 It was a disappointment for the premise， which was the reason why I even read this book in the first place。 The author had a chance to dig deep into the mindset of these teenagers but it was too surface level to stay relevant to me。 However， I understand the importance of telling this story， which too often gets ignored in mainstream America。 It's not bad， just boring， which is even worse。 Everything was unspectacular and one-sided， from the characterization to the writing。 It was a disappointment for the premise， which was the reason why I even read this book in the first place。 The author had a chance to dig deep into the mindset of these teenagers but it was too surface level to stay relevant to me。 However， I understand the importance of telling this story， which too often gets ignored in mainstream America。 。。。more
Anne
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This is a YA book written by a Japanese-American author。 It is a fictionalized account of the experiences of her grandparents and their friends and families in being incarcerated in detention camps during WW II。 Some of the events described are horrifying。 At the same time， the teenagers who are the characters in the book form strong bonds with each other， which enable them to survive the harsh treatment in the camps。 The book is the choice for the March “Same Page” book chosen during the Virgin This is a YA book written by a Japanese-American author。 It is a fictionalized account of the experiences of her grandparents and their friends and families in being incarcerated in detention camps during WW II。 Some of the events described are horrifying。 At the same time， the teenagers who are the characters in the book form strong bonds with each other， which enable them to survive the harsh treatment in the camps。 The book is the choice for the March “Same Page” book chosen during the Virginia Festival of the Book。 。。。more
Possibly Pan Book Fanatic
，
This was amazing。 Reread it recently—it was just as good， and I cried just as much。Each of the characters is realistic and likable， and unlike other reviews I’ve read， I liked the switching perspective。 I loved how the book centered more on the characters and their social lives than the circumstance， which just made it all the more heartbreaking。5/5， would recommend （have recommended ceaselessly）
Deidra
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For me， to get a 5-star rating， the book has to make me feel so many emotions。 If it's a subject like this， I want to be uncomfortable。 That is such a weird desire， but I mean that they made me feel what I should for such a topic。 We focus so much on what Hitler did to the Jews during WWII， but we conveniently leave off what this country did to American CITIZENS who happened to have Japanese heritage。 It's appalling。 This story follows teens from San Francisco who went into these "Internment" ca For me， to get a 5-star rating， the book has to make me feel so many emotions。 If it's a subject like this， I want to be uncomfortable。 That is such a weird desire， but I mean that they made me feel what I should for such a topic。 We focus so much on what Hitler did to the Jews during WWII， but we conveniently leave off what this country did to American CITIZENS who happened to have Japanese heritage。 It's appalling。 This story follows teens from San Francisco who went into these "Internment" camps during WWII。 I really love that it's from the perspective of about 12 different characters throughout the book。 You see so many different viewpoints and attitudes。 It seems like it would be a lot， but they're all so unique in what they wanted， that I eased from character to character seamlessly。 It's another reason for my rating。 I was so enthralled with the characters。 I CRIED at one point in the book reading each reaction to a specific event。 It felt like a gut punch。 It's not a comfortable book to read， but I feel like everyone should read it。 It's a part of our history we try to cover up and use phrasing that doesn't reveal the truth of what this country did。 We should know where we have been。 。。。more
Stacy Harfenist
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What a book。 A must read
Amelia
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This was incredible。 100/5。The writing style was so good and interesting， there was never a point when I was reading that I wanted to put the book down。 I read the entire second half in one sitting and the first half in two。 All of the character's separate chapters were different and unique to the narrator's， which was epic。My favorite chapters because of the writing style were Minnow's （obviously） Mas's， Keiko's， Twitchy's， and Tommy's。 My favorites based on the plot progression that occurs in This was incredible。 100/5。The writing style was so good and interesting， there was never a point when I was reading that I wanted to put the book down。 I read the entire second half in one sitting and the first half in two。 All of the character's separate chapters were different and unique to the narrator's， which was epic。My favorite chapters because of the writing style were Minnow's （obviously） Mas's， Keiko's， Twitchy's， and Tommy's。 My favorites based on the plot progression that occurs in the chapter/other reasons were the previous ones plus Bette's （this was my initial favorite chapter as soon as I first read it）， Aiko's， Yum-yum's， and Mary's。 All of them were amazing for different reasons， and it's hard to pick a favorite character since I've gotten to read about each of them as individuals from their own point of view。This book is so great！！！ 。。。more
Hannah Park
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"i am an american" "i am an american" 。。。more
Melynda
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🎧 I still just can’t get over Japanese internment camps。
Rebecca Caufman
，
Wow， this is a powerful book that opened my eyes to so many things about the Japanese imprisonment in the 1940s。 A must read！
Taylor
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（4。5） take this as my formal recommendation to everyone to read this book
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=We Are Not Free
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=We Are Not Free&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,We Are Not Free&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0