Join the West Coast’s largest book club! One Book, One Coast brings together more than 140 library systems across California, Washington State, and Oregon for a shared community reading program that celebrates literacy, learning, community, and civil discourse.
For its inaugural year, participating libraries will read and discuss the graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy by actor, author, and activist George Takei, co-authored with Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott, and illustrated by Harmony Becker. Access the graphic novel for free here (print edition) or without a wait time on Comics Plus (electronic edition). You can also purchase the book from Auntie’s Bookstore.
In partnership with Asians for Collective Liberation Spokane, we are organizing two events that explore Japanese American incarceration and resistance, key themes in Takei’s book. Both events are free and open to the public and are listed below. The culmination event at the end of May is a virtual event with George Takei, himself, viewable on YouTube.
What is They Called Us Enemy About?
They Called Us Enemy is a graphic memoir recounting actor/author/activist George Takei’s childhood imprisoned within American concentration camps during World War II. Confronting questions of patriotism, family, loyalty, and community, George’s work is a stunning examination of what it means to be American, both long ago and today.
Key Dates for One Book, One Coast
- May 7th, 7-8pm: ‘The Afterlife Is Letting Go’ with Author Brandon Shimoda – A Reading & Conversation in Partnership with ACL Spokane Virtual, Registration required (free)
Colorado Book Award winner Brandon Shimoda reads from and discusses his creative nonfiction book about the lasting impact of Japanese-American incarceration. Chosen as one of Booklist’s “Top Ten History Books of the Year,” Shimoda’s The Afterlife Is Letting Go has been called “a stirring, trenchant, and necessary work.” In a series of reflective, multi-layered essays, Shimoda explores the “afterlife” of the U.S. government’s forced removal and mass incarceration of Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans during WWII, excavating the ways these events continue to resonate today. In this event, Shimoda will share and discuss his work.
- May 12th, 5:30-6:30pm: ‘They Called Us Enemy’ with Lisa Heyamoto & Sharma Shields – A One Book, One Coast Community Discussion with ACL Spokane
Join us at the Liberty Park Library to discuss the “One Book, One Coast” inaugural selection, George Takei’s graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy. This event is in partnership with Asians for Collective Liberation Spokane. Lisa Heyamoto works for the American Journalism Project and was the Grand Prize Winner of the Narratively Profile Prize for her longform non-fiction entry, “The Greatest Game Ever Played Behind Barbed Wire,” about a baseball game played by Japanese-American teens during incarceration. Heyamoto (a Ferris High School alum) has worked as a journalist for The Seattle Times and The Sacramento Bee.
- May 31, 2026, 2-4pm: Virtual Book Club with George Takei – A One Book, One Coast Event Virtual Event
One Book, One Coast will close this year’s reading program with a special author talk featuring George Takei. The event will be held in-person at East Los Angeles Library and will also be livestreamed on YouTube. (Link will be active on the May 31.)
Thank you to Asians for Collection Liberation Spokane for partnering with us on the local events.
View ACL Spokane’s upcoming events on their website.
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, with Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott, and illustrated by Harmony Becker
Check Out the Book or Access the eBook on Comics Plus (No Waitlist!)
The Afterlife Is Letting Go by Brandon Shimoda
The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration, edited and with an introduction by Frank Abe and Floyd Cheung
