Kiyo Sato

This photo-illustrated biography shares the story of Kiyo Sato, a Japanese-American who experienced a new, sudden level of discrimination immediately after Pearl Harbor and was then rounded up into an internment camp with her family. Even though I have already read a number of other books about this topic, I learned a lot from this one, and I enjoyed the specific perspective of a girl's experience in an internment camp, since I have primarily read about male experiences before

This book strikes the right balance between covering general history and being deeply biographical. It provides historical background about the war and the internment camps, complete with maps to help young readers visualize and understand the geographic elements, and it also follows Kiyo's story specifically, sharing about the personal experiences she had before, during, and after the war. The biography also follows her into her later life of serving as a nurse in the Korean War, raising adopted children, educating school groups about internment, and writing a book.

I enjoyed this a lot, and it intrigued me to learn about some of the different interactions that Kiyo Sato had with white Americans, ranging from the profoundly painful to the positive and mutually beneficial. Instead of painting the story in broad brushstrokes, this book addresses the vagaries of WWII-era America, addressing its racism and institutional failures while also acknowledging that many private citizens knew nothing about the internment camps, did not support them, and were horrified to hear stories like Kiyo's when she was released.

Part of this book covers her experience getting out of the camp after a college agreed to take her on as a student. She attended Hillsdale College in Michigan, and I found this fascinating, since I have connections with people who went to Hillsdale. I had no idea that this small Baptist college accepted Japanese-American students during World War II, and it was interesting to read about Kiyo's experiences there.

This biography is an excellent resource for schools, libraries, and families. It is well-written and engaging, addresses important issues in a clear and nuanced way, and has lots of interesting photos and resources for further research. However, before I close my review, I do want to mention something that I wish the author had handled differently.

The author includes one of the racist political cartoons created by Theodore Geisel, the future Dr. Seuss, and she writes about the impact that cartoons like this had on stirring up racist sentiment prior to internment. Although I am glad that the author addressed this, I wish that she had told her readers that Dr. Seuss later repented of his attitudes and the damage that they caused. After he visited postwar Japan, he wrote "Horton Hears a Who!" as a parable about the dignity and value of all people, reflecting what he had learned.

Although it was appropriate for the author to share the hateful cartoon as a historical artifact, I wish that she had provided additional context for readers who don't know anything about this part of Dr. Seuss's career. Ultimately, she loses the opportunity to provide an example of how people can grow, change, and deeply regret the worst parts of their legacies.