Based on a true to life story, They Called Us the Enemy navigates through the moral principle of gratitude despite what’s little left. In the perception of young George Takei, he leads us into his experience in a Japanese internment camp. Being in his pre adolescent years, George wasn’t old enough to grasp the meaning of his surroundings, yet he was smart enough to know that his parents were hurting from the situation they were forced into. From witnessing his mother turn scraps into useful resources to noticing how his dad used his abilities to pursue a better position in the camp, George admired both his parents for their undergoing perseverance. 

Regardless of being stripped from their human rights, the Takei’s always attempted to make time for family bonding. For Christmas, they prepared gifts for the kids along with other staff members. George noticed that Santa Claus wasn’t real but still kept it a secret to preserve the joy of the other kids. When they wanted personal time, the family would hop in a borrowed Jeep and see other parts of the campgrounds. In actuality, there were seldom happy moments that were purely genuine. As they drive around the unrestricted areas, the camp still lurks in the background like a sinister never-ending cycle that constantly reminds them of the torment the Japanese Americans endured.

The horrendous and inexcusable actions that the Japanese Americans went through should’ve never been legalized in the first place. Battling sickness, unsanitary living conditions, and loads of racism, they still stood strong and used what they had to make it workable. This bittersweet form of awareness reminds readers such as I to be grateful despite what’s little left.