Three Questions for Allen Say

Question: Why did you write this book?

Answer: During the retrospective show of my work at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, I had the opportunity to see its exhibition of the World War II internment camps in the United States. Some facts and numbers were familiar to me--more than 120,000 Japanese Americans interned in 10 camps in six Western states--but now the statistics took on a human face and voice. I stared and listened. And what I saw and heard turned into yet another personal journey. This is that story.

Q: Do you worry that this subject is too difficult for children?

A: My handling of this subject is mere intimation of the nightmare that real children were forced to watch and endure. It’s a tame story in our violent world. I’m a war child myself, so I saw the war through a child’s eyes. My story indicts the adult world because it’s children who suffer most.

Q: What surprised you most as you grappled with this still-raw chapter of our history?

A: I am surprised that so many people--especially young people--don’t know about this dark chapter of recent American history.