We Are Not Strangers shows Jewish and Japanese-American bond

We Are Not Strangers

Writer/Artist: Josh Tuininga
Publisher: Abrams
Publication Date: September 12, 2023

It’s typically by being particular {that a} story can tackle probably the most common qualities. In We Are Not Strangers, out now from Abrams, creator Josh Tuininga grounds his household story and first graphic novel in ultra-specific references. Expect to be taught extra about Sephardic Judaism, Japanese-American life, and the immigrant expertise in Seattle’s Central District within the Nineteen Forties. At its core, it’s a relatable story of friendship, shared experiences of discrimination, and the facility of people to make a distinction.

Stories about Japanese-American internment throughout World War II are arguably having a second in graphic novels. I’d be remiss to not point out George Takei’s They Called Us Enemy (2019) with Justin Eisinger, Stephen Scott, and Harmony Becker, Displacement by Kiku Hughes (2019), We Hereby Refuse by Frank Abe, Tamiko Nakamura, Ross Ishikawa and Matt Sasaki (2021), My Nest of Silence by Matt Faulkner (2022) and Those Who Helped Us by Ken Mochizuki and Hughes (2022). The widespread reputation of Takei’s guide may need opened the door a bit of wider for creators. And we’re richer for it: it’s a superb medium to convey this vital historical past.

It’s fascinating to see one other tackle this era in We Are Not Strangers. This isn’t a story that zooms in on camp life particularly. Instead, it’s a throughline of a friendship between a Jewish household, the Calvos, and a Japanese-American household, the Akiyamas, and one man’s meticulous work to carry onto his Japanese-American associates’ property till they return. 

A historian’s strategy

Tuininga does embrace a brief and transferring overview of some key factors concerning the incarceration camps and their aftermath. I discovered extra statistics and context than I used to be beforehand conscious of, sufficient to make my blood boil.

Tuininga approaches the guide as a historian, with citations, footnotes, and deeply researched visible and textual content particulars. Posters, information headlines, and Seattle landmarks are pulled instantly from life. Small moments of each day life, each connection and loss, come vividly to the fore. Tuininga’s artwork is mildly stylized, with muted, textured colours. His dialogue and narration strike an excellent stability between exhibiting and telling. The expertise is naturalistic, a reminder that horrible issues could be mundane, and so can brave ones.

The grandson within the story, who shares the story of his grandfather Marco Calvo’s life, shouldn’t be meant to be a stand-in for creator Tuininga. Instead, it appears, the grandson is predicated on Tuininga’s uncle, who was additionally named Marco. It was his grandfather who helped Japanese-Americans in the course of the battle. If I’m understanding the relationships appropriately, that is primarily a narrative about Marco Calvo (senior), Tuininga’s great-grandfather. 

My favourite side of the guide is the affected person, constant means that the elder Marco approaches serving to his associates. It’s a reminder that any of us, by regular motion, can rise up for our neighbors.

Personal connections

I’m not merely a bystander on this interval. My mom’s household have been incarcerated too. And my father’s aspect is Jewish. So I can perceive among the simpatico between Jews and Japanese-Americans, sharing outsider identities within the U.S.

Also, implausibly, as this guide got here out I used to be within the midst of studying extra a few white household that helped my mom’s maternal household throughout incarceration. They mailed unbelievable numbers of provides, helped handle paperwork, drafted suggestions, and wrote over 100 letters to my household of their camp. Organizations just like the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) have preserved many information and letters from this era.

Given the customarily brutal circumstances of camp (excessive warmth, excessive chilly, sicknesses, malnutrition), it’s most likely not hyperbole to say that I could owe my good well being and even my life to the efforts of those wonderful associates. And I didn’t even know till now. Preserving the future well-being of Japanese-American associates in camp like property and funds, as Marco did, is one other immense effort to be lauded. So many households misplaced every little thing and needed to begin over, struggling for years. 

In the story, the youthful Marco’s discovery of his grandfather’s help to Japanese-Americans after his grandfather’s dying parallels my very own journey. This guide’s portrayal of one other particular person who labored so arduous to assist Japanese-Americans hits dwelling for me, huge time. I’m so glad Tuininga is telling his household’s story.

Implications and affect

The associates of Japanese-Americans and residents of Japanese descent in the course of the battle have been priceless past measure. There is a vital message right here, of the lifelong affect of people that took motion even when their very own household wasn’t threatened, typically at nice threat to themselves.

These folks have been an inspiring a part of U.S. historical past, my very own and Tuininga’s. I’m deeply indebted to them. Whether or not you’ve gotten a private connection to this historical past, I feel you’ll discover this story a hopeful, informative, and gratifying examine a darkish time.

We Are Not Strangers is out now in each print and digital from Abrams.

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