Gr 5–8—Two prominent photographers and one prisoner, working with smuggled equipment, highlighted the
injustice of incarceration and the remarkable resilience of interned Japanese Americans during WWII. Tamaki
intersperses striking illustrations with the text and photos for a visually arresting complement to the horrifying story.

Expected photos. Not many. Otherwise, good. ( )

I'm kind of in love with this book because of how well it documents (or seeks to document) one of the travesties of American History--that of internment camps. (Which are really concentration camps let's be real)

See how media control narratives flipped the script
See how cameras were smuggled in to tell the whole story
See how the spirit of the Japanese Americans never wavered

This is a must for collections ( )

Excerpt from a longer article:

Synergy: Exploring World War II

WORLD WAR II was a global conflict between two military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. From 1939-1945, many of the world’s countries fought on land, sea, and air killing an estimated 70-80 million people. Civilian populations were particularly hard hit. Many people were held in prison camps around the world.

To understand a concept, it’s useful to read a cluster of books related to a theme. Explore these recently published books for young people:

SEEN AND UNSEEN: WHAT DOROTHEA LANGE, TOYO MIYATAKE, AND ANSEL ADAM’S PHOTOGRAPHS REVEAL ABOUT THE JAPANESE AMERICAN INCARCERATION by Elizabeth Partridge and illustrated by Lauren Tamaki is an award-winning work of nonfiction sharing the power of photography. Told through a mixture of original drawings and historical photos, readers explore the heartbreaking stories of Japanese Americans living in incarceration camps during World War II. The visually rich book concludes with eighteen pages of additional information and resources. ARC country of Chronicle Books. ( )

We view the WW2 incarceration of Japanese Americans through the lenses of three photographers: Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams, and Toyo Miyatake who was incarcerated at Manzanar. This is an intriguing exploration of how the incarceration was portrayed by the government and how these photographers interpreted what they saw. It also covers how the government controlled what images were published. Toyo of course had the lived experience and the personal connection to the community, and his photos resonate with a quality missing from the others. This thought-provoking pictorial book will inspire lively book discussion of many levels. Tamaki's illustrations help tell the story of the incarceration and provide connection among the photos. ( )