Warren, Andrea. Enemy Child: The Story of Norman Mineta, A Boy Imprisoned in a Japanese American Internment Camp During World War II. Biography. Holiday, 04/2019. 214pp. $22.99. 978-0-8234-4151-8. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 5-8.
Sibert honoree Warren offers another exemplary biography, this time interviewing the subject at length so that the narrative truly captures his experience. Norman Mineta is a Bay Area native, a longtime Congressman who served as a cabinet secretary to both Clinton and George W. Bush, but the majority of the book focuses on his youth. Along with other Japanese Americans in California, he and his family were interned at a relocation camp during WW II when he was a child, returning to San Jose after the war where he finished high school. The text is gripping, in part due to the many quotations from Mineta as well as clear background information for readers who may not know much about the camps or events surrounding the incarceration. The final few chapters describe his adult life and successes, as well as the relevance to current events regarding treatment of refugees, immigrants, and those targeted by hate groups. There are abundant b&w photos (both Mineta family photos as well as historic photos), a map of the camps in the U.S., index, and bibliography. A must-have for California libraries. This book contains California-specific content.
Penny Peck, San Jose State University, iSchool