Age: 4th-8th grade
Activism: Civil rights, wartime injustice
Identity: Japanese American

An expertly arranged presentation of the discrimination and debilitating hardship wrought on Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in the early 1940s.

Every activist has a role in a revolution and bringing about justice. There are outspoken activists that seek change on the front-lines of protests, organizing in their communities, and petitioning their government for change. Most activists that are present in biographies are depicted as these bigger-than-life people. Atkins expertly presents Korematsu as an average citizen caught up in a horrific time but with just the right amount of defiance and bravery needed to step forward.

Trying to avoid the fate of 120,000 other Japanese Americans that were sent to prison camps, Fred Korematsu attempted to hide under the radar of government detection but was eventually detected. While in jail, an ACLU lawyer sought Korematsu's participation in the only legal case to be brought against the US government for their wrongful persecution. His activism was more subdued and less grandiose but, nevertheless, defiant and brave.

Bouncing between Korematsu's narrative and a fact-based presentation of the historical events that led to the false imprisonment of Japanese Americans, the length and language of this book make it an excellent an accessible read for a wide ranged audience.