As a seventeen-year-old adolescent, I am deeply impressed by the fourteen teenagers whose voices and observations comprise Traci Chee’s novel, We Are Not Free. This review centers mainly on two characters whose perspectives touched and instructed me the most.

The novel is written from the perspective of fourteen different Japanese-American teenagers whose lives unexpectedly undergo dramatic change in 1942. On February 19th of that year, President Roosevelt, concerned about Japanese espionage against America, signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the detention of Japanese-American citizens. Throughout the novel, the teenagers never understand why their country regards them as traitors. Having lived in America since they were born, they naively believe America will always support them. However, the safeguard that America offers these teenagers is not commensurate with the passion they hold for the country. Their beliefs shatter when they are forced to leave their happy homes. Though teenagers, they are more like adults who hold mature thoughts and make independent decisions. They realize the ineradicable problem of discrimination, but their efforts make their voices heard and to rebel cannot change anything. With no other option, they decide to fight. As a reader, the author ignites a fire of indignation and inspiration in me through the character's passion and courage.

After the Japanese-American citizens settle in the camp, the army soldiers arrive to recruit volunteers for Roosevelt’s new combat team. Frankie, who is bellicose towards things with which he strongly disagrees, initially thinks it is ridiculous to fight for people who do not recognize them, so he refuses to be a volunteer. After he hears that his friend, Mas, is going to volunteer, he picks up a rock and hurl it as hard as he can into the darkening sky, hoping it’ll break on impact, hoping it’ll make a crater, hoping for something, but it lands on the other side of the fence without a sound (80). However, the anger and power to rebel inside of him are like that rock—they do not have a place to be released. Frankie’s Uncle Yas is the reason why Frankie gives up fleeing from the camp because Uncle Yas does not have a pair of good eyes and needs Frankie to take care of him. The second day, when Frankie wakes up, Uncle Yas wants to convince Frankie to volunteer for the soldiers. He thinks that Frankie cannot withstand the camp because it does not provide Frankie space to be wild. Listening to Uncle Yas, Frankie decides to volunteer and reorients himself to fight for the reputation and freedom of Japanese-Americans. After his recruitment, Frankie changes from a powerless rebel to a potent thinker.

One day, soldiers suddenly appear in the camp to allegedly ensure the Japanese were safe. Some Japanese-Americans are killed or arrested for paltry or for no reason at all, including Kiyoshi and his friends who are other teens in the camp. Due to the spiritual trauma his stepfather has inflicted on him, he lacks confidence. When he witnesses his friends being harmed and arrested by the soldiers, he cannot act because he feels too small, too stupid, and too weak to protect them. When he is arrested by the soldiers, his anger accumulates when he is severed from the family that depends on him. Kiyoshi is the only man in his family, and he is his mother and older sister’s only hope. His anger intensifies when he sees the scarred friend he was unable to save in the jail. One day, when Mr. Morimoto (supervisor of the prison) assigns an unjust workload to a prisoner, Kiyoshi is the first one who steps forward. Kiyoshi describes his steps: “The frost crunches as I take a step, a single step, one step forward. In the silent yard, the sound is like an avalanche. Or a breaking branch. Or an eggshell” (164). This step leads other prisoners to rebel against Mr. Morimoto. Kiyoshi depicts this moment that “The earth trembles under our weight, the weight of all of us, more than two hundred Japs, moving and immovable” (164). In the past, Kiyoshi was unable to rebel in the face of injustice because he was insecure and believed his efforts would be pointless. After experiencing inequality and humiliation in the camp, he grows into a man who is the first one to stand up against this ineradicable discrimination. 

The reality may extinguish these teenagers’ confidence for a short period of time, but their development, passion, and courage will never be erased and will have a provocative impact on readers. Overall, I strongly recommend We Are Not Free to everyone who wants an engaging and stimulating read, but especially to teenagers who are looking for a stimulus for independence, enthusiasm and courage.