   | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 02/01/2019 Meet Japanese American Norman Mineta, 10-term U.S. representative and former secretary of both commerce and transportation. Mineta was 10 in 1941 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Subsequently, the U.S. government remanded all Japanese Americans living on the West Coast and parts of Arizona to internment camps. Mineta’s family were sent to the Heart Mountain camp in Wyoming, and Warren provides a vivid account of their circumscribed life there. The young Mineta was able to engage in such ordinary pursuits as baseball and Boy Scout membership, but the fact remains that his family were imprisoned in the camp behind barbed wire walls and guard towers equipped with machine guns. Fortunately, thanks to Norman’s father being bilingual, the Minetas were released from the camp and sent to Chicago, where the father taught Japanese at the University of Chicago. Warren’s biography adroitly covers Mineta’s subsequent education and distinguished career. Extremely well researched and boasting Mineta’s cooperation, the book is generously illustrated with period black-and-white photos. It’s a fascinating record of an eventful and significant life. - Copyright 2019 Booklist. School Library Journal - 03/01/2019 Gr 5–8—When Norman Mineta was nine years old, he was living with his family in San Jose, CA. Like many boys his age, Norm was interested in baseball, comics, and joking with his friends. But when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, bringing America into World War II, Norm's life changed forever because he and his family were Japanese Americans. At first there were curfews and FBI searches of Japanese American homes. Then Norm learns that a neighbor was handcuffed and taken away. By connecting Mineta's story to the larger events of World War II and its impact on Japanese Americans, the author helps readers learn about a frightening historical injustice. They and thousands of other Japanese American families were forced from their homes, sent to desolate internment camps, and imprisoned against their will. Using more than 100 photographs and many quotes from Mineta, the author chronicles his family's experiences living in a camp in Wyoming, where he and his family lived in a single room shack, denied their privacy and freedom while being watched by an armed guard. Despite these conditions, we also learn that the family's loyalty to America was unwavering. The author continues the story beyond internment to tell about Mineta's career as a politician, serving 10 terms in the House of Representatives and as a cabinet member for two presidents. It is an inspiring story of character and endurance despite hardships. An important, well-told story. VERDICT An excellent choice for social studies classes, literature circles, and libraries. Extensive back matter enriches understanding of this historical narrative.—Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York - Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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