Enemy Child

★ ”By connecting Mineta’s story to the larger events of World War II and its impact on Japanese Americans, the author helps readers learn about a frightening historical injustice. . . . an inspiring story of character and endurance despite hardships. An important, well-told story. An excellent choice for social studies classes, literature circles, and libraries. Extensive back matter enriches understanding of this historical narrative.—School Library Journal, Starred Review

★ ”With so many individual stories, only one absolute emerges from this historical period: a large segment of our population, whether U.S. citizens or first-generation Japanese people deprived of citizenship, were denied their constitutional and civil rights. Warren leaves much to ponder about our nation’s past and present, about ‘this beautiful tapestry that is America.'”—The Horn Book, Starred Review

“This is absolutely one of the most important stories for all Americans to know. Andrea Warren’s skillful research and writing, and Norman Mineta’s irrepressible spirit and patriotism, make Enemy Child a truly special book.”—Steve Sheinkin, three-time National Book Award Finalist and author of Bomb, The Port Chicago 50 and Undefeated

“Writing efficiently with concise descriptors, Warren narrates in the third person, focusing primarily on the family and social environment of Mineta’s school-age years. . . . an invaluable record of an incredible life.”—Kirkus Reviews


“Warren’s biography adroitly covers Mineta’s subsequent education and distinguished career. Extremely well researched and boasting Mineta’s cooperation, the book is generously illustrated with period black-and-white photos. It’s a fascinating record of an eventful and significant life.” —Booklist

“In Enemy Child, Andrea Warren shares with the world what Norman Mineta’s many friends have known for years: He is a national treasure. Her luminous book tells the story of the Japanese American incarceration with depth and grace and shows how Norm’s life is truly an American journey.”—Shirley Ann Higuchi, Chair of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation

“There are still too few books for youth about U.S. Japanese-American internment, and this affecting volume offers an essential view.” —Publishers Weekly

“Warren bases her narrative on interviews as well as other primary and secondary resources, and although readers who have read other work on the internment camps will find much that is familiar, the Mineta family story offers particulars that do not emerge with such clarity in other accounts.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books