Synopses & Reviews
A teenager is pulled back in time to witness her grandmother's experiences in World War II-era Japanese internment camps in Displacement, a historical graphic novel from Kiku Hughes.
Kiku is on vacation in San Francisco when suddenly she finds herself displaced to the 1940s Japanese-American internment camp that her late grandmother, Ernestina, was forcibly relocated to during World War II.
These displacements keep occurring until Kiku finds herself stuck back in time. Living alongside her young grandmother and other Japanese-American citizens in internment camps, Kiku gets the education she never received in history class. She witnesses the lives of Japanese-Americans who were denied their civil liberties and suffered greatly, but managed to cultivate community and commit acts of resistance in order to survive.
Kiku Hughes weaves a riveting, bittersweet tale that highlights the intergenerational impact and power of memory.
Review
"...readers will gain insights
to the Japanese American incarceration and feel called to activism. A
timely and well-paced story of personal discovery." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"The subdued neutral palette roots Kiku's experiences in the past and adds a layer of gravity....A potent look at history and the lasting intergenerational impact of community trauma." School Library Journal
Review
"Art features straightforward
linework with full-color, often spare backgrounds that focus on
characters....Hughes
centers [Kiku's] powerlessness to create a compelling story about an
oft-overlooked period of U.S. aggression against its own citizens." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Hughes powerfully places
this story amid the onset of Trump's Muslim Ban and incarceration of
refugees at the Mexican border, potently reminding readers that racism
still permeates the fabric of our society." Booklist
Review
"The story draws parallels to
current events and encourages readers to remember and recontextualize
this painful part of American history." Horn Book Magazine
About the Author
Kiku Hughes is a
cartoonist and illustrator based in the Seattle area. Her work has been
featured in Beyond Anthology volumes 1 and 2, Short Box #6 and the Alloy
Anthology. She creates stories about identity, queer romance and
compassionate sci-fi. Displacement is her first graphic novel, and it is
a story she's wanted to share for as long as she can remember.