Stretching from California’s southern border to northmost tip of Washington state, One Book, One Coast (OBOC) is a brand-new, multi-state community reading initiative that brings readers together around a shared book, sparking conversation, programs and reflection across the West Coast.
One Coast. One Book. Many Voices.
Our inaugural selection is They Called Us Enemy, a graphic memoir by George Takei that recounts his childhood experience of incarceration alongside more than 120,000 people of Japanese descent, most of whom were U.S. citizens, following Executive Order 9066 in 1942.
Read along March-May 2026 and join the programs and discussions it inspires.
What happens when fear and prejudice become government policy? In They Called Us Enemy, George Takei shares his childhood experience of being incarcerated with his family in U.S. camps during World War II. Told through the graphic memoir format, the book follows Takei from early childhood to his later understanding of what it meant to lose his home, freedom, and civil rights. Clear, powerful, and deeply human, They Called Us Enemy connects personal memory to American history, showing how injustice leaves lasting marks on individuals, families, and communities.
"Moving and layered... Takei challenges Americans to look to how past humanitarian injustices speak to current political debates. Giving a personal view into difficult history, [They Called Us Enemy] is a testament to hope and tenacity in the face of adversity." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
George Takei is an actor, author, and activist best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek. He is the author of the graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy, which recounts his childhood incarceration in U.S. camps during World War II. Takei has spent decades advocating for civil rights, democracy, and social justice, drawing on his own life experience to speak out against racism and the erosion of constitutional freedoms. He is also the author of To the Stars, My Lost Freedom, and Lions and Tigers and Bears, and is a recipient of the Japanese American National Museum’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Showcase Event: George Takei, They Called Us Enemy
May 31, 2-4 p.m., Virtual Event streamed from Long Beach Public Library
Related Events
Activity: Folding History — A Thousand Cranes for Peace
Learn the traditional art of origami while exploring the history and meaning of paper cranes as symbols of peace, hope and healing.
April 11, Afternoon of Ideas, 4-6 p.m., 2nd Floor
April 11, Night of Ideas, 7-9 p.m., 3rd Floor
Film: Rabbit in the Moon
Watch Rabbit in the Moon, an acclaimed documentary that examines the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II through personal testimony, family history and political reflection.
May 10, 3 p.m., Main Library, Chinese Center, 3rd Floor
May 11, 2 p.m., Main Library, Silver Room, 4th Floor
Panel: Remembering Japanese American Incarceration and Exploring Resources
Explore the history of Japanese American incarceration during World War II through resources including Forced Assembly Centers and Densho websites.
May 10, 2 p.m., Main Library, Koret Auditorium, LL
Presentation: One Family's Story from Crystal City, Texas Internment Camp
Bekki Shibayama shares her family's history of wartime incarceration, including her father's abduction from Peru and imprisonment at Crystal City, and her mother's forced removal and incarceration at camps in Oregon, California and Idaho.
May 11, 2 p.m., Main Library, Silver Music Center, 4th Floor
Book Club: George Takei's They Called Us Enemy
Discuss They Called Us Enemy by George Takei.
April 22, 6 p.m., Main Library, Stong Conference Room
April 25, 11 a.m., Virtual Library