ePub Infamy: The Shocking Story of the Japanese American Internment in World War II by Richard Reeves in History

Review

66 of 68 people found the following review helpful. Best "Big Picture" -- Concisely Details Causes; Human Impact Present Significance of Great Injustice with Passion ClarityBy kasI. Why I Read This Book --Because of the gravity and continued relevance today of the issues raised by our country's disgraceful treatment of Japanese-American citizens under color of law during WWII; I was immediately drawn to this book when I saw it listed among the titles available in a recent Early Reviewer giveaway. I studied the Supreme Court case failing to invalidate the "internment" program under the Constitution in law school (i.e. Korematsu). However I didn't know any of the details of the policy's development and enforcement -- let alone the experience of the people forced from their homes and collected in concentration camps (that was the name used in government documents apparently -- the term was not linked with the Nazi genocide program directly at that time). I wanted to know more.II. My Personal Opinion After Reading --Ultimately; author Richard Reeves did more than satisfy my intellectual curiosity with an engaging; accessible and concise history of the key events. However; these qualities would not suffice to constitute an outstanding history. Reeves managed to accomplish what I think is the more difficult and more important work of the historian -- to give the reader a fuller; more palpable and cognizable sense of the toll on human dignity involved in what happened. He achieved this due to the combined effects of two strengths of this history:i) The reader got a textured sense of the impact of the incarceration on the substance and quality of daily life of the people affected and on individuals' lifetimes; which was tantamount to stealing years of time from the totality of human beings' experience on this earth! This is to say nothing of the disruptions to the pursuit of life; liberty and happiness of each victim that could not be remedied upon release from internment. Lives could not be picked up and continued as if nothing had happened; to grossly understate the matter. This history makes sure readers get some understanding of what that specifically meant in individual victims' post-war lives. Through reading this book; one way readers can better appeciate the injustice done to Japanese Americans by their government during this period.due to this wise choice to particularly focus on its human impact despite the book's relative brevity. Different histories might have focused primarily on explication of the causes and machinations of state that made the injustices possible as well as detailing exactly what (as well as how;.why; where and to whom) it happened. Rather than going into further analysis of the unfolding of this awful chain of events; Reeves balanced his history with a sense of the lives impacted by the events at issue.2) Granted I came to this book with a deep sense of personal outrage at what my country's governemnt did -- as an American and as a human being. But; I think that the second way this history does an outstanding job of presenting the breadth; depth and sheer grievousness of what happened is Reeves's own contagious passion -- which is appropriately contained between the lines; yet constant throughout -- about what happened. Because Reeves does not assume a false neutrality to the question of whether actions taken which effectuated this chain of events were right or wrong; he does an outstanding job on maintaining a laser like focus on what is most important. I; for one; couldn't ask for a better big picture from a historian.This book effectively argues that what was done during WWII in the western part of the United States to some people on the sole basis of personal connections to Japan through ancestral descent and/or nativity; are deeds which should most properly -- most vitally -- live ever on in infamy among the people of this country and every country.III. My Thoughts for Prospective ReadersIn conclusion; I will go so far as to say that whatever you think of the title when you start reading; you will probably better appreciate the relative fitness of the choice when you finish. I personally think this is an outstanding contribution to American historical discourse that should reach as many people as possible of every nationality. I’ve set forth some of its particular strengths that distinguish it from the pack; IMHO; for your consideration...But for reallies; who the heck am I to estimate your final valuation of a purely hypothetical reading of some book I happen to love? This is the rub: the good people at LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program gave me a free copy of this gem to read on the condition that I'd share my honest impressions in a review posted on their site. I have always thought in such cases: “Why not copy to Goodreads and ?” I figure it couldn't do any great harm. So here we are. Thank you for considering my ideas; and in all seriousness; I really hope they prove useful to some of you.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Ranks with “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee”By Jersey Shore JohnI read Richard Reeves’s latest book; Infamy: the Shocking Story of the Japanese-American Internment in World War II;” over the Memorial Day weekend. I’ve read several of his books and; until now; had considered “President Nixon: Alone in the White House” as his masterpiece. In my inexpert opinion; it’s the best book ever written on that troubled President. Infamy is a masterpiece that should rank alongside works like “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” for clearly articulating Americans inhumanity to their fellow Americans. Reeves has have connected those dots like none before him; although giving generous credit to those who tried.The World War II internment of 120;000 Japanese-Americans in isolated concentration camps remains the greatest stain on President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s otherwise stellar record. Meticulously researched; Infamy documents the post-Pearl Harbor panic and paranoia that led to Executive Order 9066; and there are villains aplenty; including California Attorney General Earl Warren (subsequently Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme court); Deputy Secretary of War John McCloy (subsequently Chairman of the World Bank) and even cartoonist Theodor Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss). In some ways; it was not unlike the anti-Muslim anger following 9/11; but carried to an unconstitutional extreme. McCloy’s quote “if it is a question of the safety of the country and the Constitution…why the Constitution is just a piece of paper to me.”By putting a human face on the tragedy; Reeves has produced the most readable account of this travesty of justice. Whether it was Seattle shopkeepers forced to sell their businesses for pennies on the dollar; San Pedro fishermen forced to abandon their boats; or Oregon farmers forced to leave their homes and farms behind; “military necessity” drove them to imprisonment behind barbed wire and guard towers in concentration camps located in barren deserts and remote swamps.Despite their maltreatment; most internees remained loyal to their adopted country. When finally allowed to enlist in the Army in January 1943; the 442nd Regimental Combat Team fought fiercely in the European Theater of Operations; becoming the most decorated unit per capita of the Second World War. Reeves tells the amazing story of their rescue of “The Lost Battalion;” a Texas National Guard unit that had been cut off and surrounded by German troops. Reeves weaves in the stories of Daniel Inouye; Medal of Honor winner and long-term Senator from Hawaii; and Norman Mineta; Congressman and cabinet member in both Democratic and Republican administrations.The injustice that Caucasian Americans perpetrated on 120;000 fellow citizens; placing them in concentration camps and stealing their possessions; is one of those sins that cries out to heaven for vengeance. This quote from Chapter 9 says it all: “When Private Shiro Kashino…first saw the row of huts behind barbed wire at Dachau; he said; ‘This is exactly what they had built for us in Idaho’.” Unfortunately; the racial paranoia depicted in Infamy continues to prevail today. Infamy is a tale that celebrates the ability of the human spirit to ultimately transcend adversity. It’s a compelling read!43 of 43 people found the following review helpful. POWBy Y. MatsumotoI was interned at Amache; Colorado. I have read other books about the internment but this was among the best. It revealed the horror of the event as experienced by the internees. I was 4 when interned yet it has affected my life in a negative way.