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We Are Not Free by Traci Chee

 We Are Not Free

 by Traci Chee


About the Author:

"Traci Chee is the NEW YORK TIMES best-selling author of YA fantasy THE READER. An all-around word geek, she loves book arts and art books, poetry and paper crafts, though she also dabbles at piano playing, egg painting, and hosting potluck game nights for family and friends. She studied literature and creative writing at UC Santa Cruz and earned a master of arts degree from San Francisco State University. Traci grew up in a small town with more cows than people, and now feels most at home in the mountains, scaling switchbacks and happening upon hidden highland lakes. She lives in California with her fast-fast dog."


Book Summary:

* NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST * PRINTZ HONOR BOOK * WALTER HONOR BOOK *

From New York Times best-selling and acclaimed author Traci Chee comes We Are Not Free, the collective account of a tight-knit group of young Nisei, second-generation Japanese American citizens, whose lives are irrevocably changed by the mass U.S. incarcerations of World War II.
 
Fourteen teens who have grown up together in Japantown, San Francisco.
 
Fourteen teens who form a community and a family, as interconnected as they are conflicted.
 
Fourteen teens whose lives are turned upside down when over 100,000 people of Japanese ancestry are removed from their homes and forced into desolate incarceration camps.
 
In a world that seems determined to hate them, these young Nisei must rally together as racism and injustice threaten to pull them apart.


Reviews:

★ "A compelling and transformative story of a tragic period in American history....Each voice is powerful, evoking raw emotions of fear, anger, resentment, uncertainty, grief, pride, and love....An unforgettable must-read.​" —Kirkus, STARRED review

★ "Chee is a master storyteller…. Here, she uses her own San Francisco–based Japanese American family's history to inform a blazing and timely indictment of the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. Her passion and personal involvement combine with her storytelling talents to create a remarkable and deeply moving account of the incarceration…. [We Are Not Free] should become required curriculum reading on a shameful and relevant chapter in U.S. history." —Booklist, STARRED review

Connections:

A Conversation with Traci Chee, author of WE ARE NOT FREE:

Question for the Author: 
What is one piece of advice that you would give others that want to know more about their family history during difficult times?

I loved learning from my relatives and would encourage others to sit down with their families in the spirit of sharing and good conversation, but I also think difficult times can be equally difficult to talk about, even decades after those times are over. It might be time for some of those old stories to be told. It might not be. If it is, then I think that approaching a conversation from a place of love, humility, and respect is a pretty good place to start.

This question and author response would make for a great family history background project or family tree assignment, so that students may connect to the text on a more personal level. 

Sources: 
https://www.amazon.com/Are-Not-Free-Traci-Chee/dp/035813143X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1618419987&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Traci-Chee/e/B00JE4SXCU?ref_=dbs_p_pbk_r00_abau_000000


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