U.S. Air Force Academy distributes George Takei’s They Called Us Enemy to cadets as part of “One Book. One USAFA.” program
(L-R) Image Brig Gen Linell Letendre on Instagram; They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, image Amazon; George Takei, image IMDb
JUNE 29, 2021 - George Takei’s They Called Us Enemy is the latest book to be distributed at the United States Air Force Academy as part of their “One Book. One USAFA.” program. The program aims to create a shared cultural experience at the military institution, among basic and returning cadets, senior leaders, trainers and more. The “One Book. One USAFA.” program originated in the summer of 2020, with the novel Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.
NBC News reported on Tuesday that the Dean of the Air Force Academy, Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre, shared her excitement for this year’s program on Instagram, with a picture of an incoming cadet holding up the graphic novel. She captioned the photo, “Welcome Class of 2025! We are so excited for this year’s One Book One USAFA read They Called Us Enemy.” In a separate post, she added, “Our shared institutional read this year focused on dignity and respect. We are getting our basics ready for what’s ahead.”
They Called Us Enemy is George Takei’s award-winning story of his experiences as a young child in the Japanese-American internment camps in the United States in World War II. Back in 2019, when the book was first released, Takei told fans at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis that he hoped the book (particularly its graphic novel format) would reach across generations. “Every time I share these moments from my childhood,” he said, “people are astounded and shocked that something like this happened in the United States. I thought of myself as a young boy, and I thought a comic book would be a good way to reach young people today because they’re going to be the voters and movers and shakers of tomorrow.”
If you’d like to read They Called Us Enemy for yourself, you can pick it up at bookshop.org, amazon.com, or wherever you get your books.
