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btwnprintedpgs 's review for:
Displacement
by Kiku Hughes
I don't usually review graphic novels - I love them, but they're often so short that I find it hard to get beyond general fangirling.
However, Displacement is a book that deserves a full review.
First of all, this is a mix of memoir and historical fiction. While Kiku puts herself and her family into the story, she doesn't have all the facts of her family history, as she states in her author's notes. After the bombing of Pearl Harbour, over 120,000 people in the US and about 12,000 people in Canada were put into internment camps where they were isolated, mistreated, and wrongfully murdered. This event led to people being scared that their culture, language, and history could and would be used against them on the streets, in the court of law, and in school/business. It is not a time that victims want to remember, but it is an event that has impacted how their story has been told and passed on.
East Asian culture is about endurance - people often take on the weight of the world while saying it's light as a feather. As someone of Chinese descent, born and raised in Canada, my family rarely talks about our history. Our story is told in bullet points. Succinct, factual, and without emotion. It's easier that way. And I think that's how American and Canadian internment camps have been talked about. Not with human empathy, but as a fact of history that we can walk away from.
Displacement demands that we put empathy and humanity back into the narrative. Not only are we brought back in time to the internment camps to witness the treatment of Japanese people after Pearl Harbour, but we're also asked to reflect and question the dogma of today's politics. Those who have experienced oppression in the past should be fighting against travel restrictions for Muslims and the captivity of children from Mexico. Beyond what's noted in the book, this call to action asks us to fight for the BLM movement that we're deeply entrenched in now.
Displacement is a quick, impactful read that sheds light on a moment in history that's often forgotten by the rest of the world, and even those connected to it. Definitely a must read for everyone, and in particular a fantastic selection for MG and YA readers!
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 4.5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Overall: 5/5
GoodReads Rating: 4.41/5
eARC obtained via Turn the Page Tours via First Second Books/Fierce Reads in exchange for an honest review.
- Review byBetween Printed Pages
However, Displacement is a book that deserves a full review.
First of all, this is a mix of memoir and historical fiction. While Kiku puts herself and her family into the story, she doesn't have all the facts of her family history, as she states in her author's notes. After the bombing of Pearl Harbour, over 120,000 people in the US and about 12,000 people in Canada were put into internment camps where they were isolated, mistreated, and wrongfully murdered. This event led to people being scared that their culture, language, and history could and would be used against them on the streets, in the court of law, and in school/business. It is not a time that victims want to remember, but it is an event that has impacted how their story has been told and passed on.
East Asian culture is about endurance - people often take on the weight of the world while saying it's light as a feather. As someone of Chinese descent, born and raised in Canada, my family rarely talks about our history. Our story is told in bullet points. Succinct, factual, and without emotion. It's easier that way. And I think that's how American and Canadian internment camps have been talked about. Not with human empathy, but as a fact of history that we can walk away from.
Displacement demands that we put empathy and humanity back into the narrative. Not only are we brought back in time to the internment camps to witness the treatment of Japanese people after Pearl Harbour, but we're also asked to reflect and question the dogma of today's politics. Those who have experienced oppression in the past should be fighting against travel restrictions for Muslims and the captivity of children from Mexico. Beyond what's noted in the book, this call to action asks us to fight for the BLM movement that we're deeply entrenched in now.
Displacement is a quick, impactful read that sheds light on a moment in history that's often forgotten by the rest of the world, and even those connected to it. Definitely a must read for everyone, and in particular a fantastic selection for MG and YA readers!
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 4.5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Overall: 5/5
GoodReads Rating: 4.41/5
eARC obtained via Turn the Page Tours via First Second Books/Fierce Reads in exchange for an honest review.
- Review byBetween Printed Pages