They Called Us Enemy

by

George Takei

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George’s little sister, Nancy Reiko is only months old when soldiers escort the Takei family from their home and place them in internment camps. She grows from an infant in Mama’s arms to a plucky toddler during the family’s years in the camps and struggles occasionally with illness. Nancy Reiko is one of the memoir’s most heartbreaking examples of how internment affects children. Given her age, Nancy Reiko literally knows nothing else; the camps are normal to her. So when Daddy leads the family to their first temporary residence after leaving Camp Tule Lake, Nancy Reiko begs to go back home to the camp.

Nancy Reiko Takei Quotes in They Called Us Enemy

The They Called Us Enemy quotes below are all either spoken by Nancy Reiko Takei or refer to Nancy Reiko Takei. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
American Democracy and Civic Engagement Theme Icon
).
They Called Us Enemy Quotes

Childhood memories come rich with sensations...

... Fragrances, sounds, colors, and especially temperatures. That golden afternoon when Daddy took the family on that wonderful jeep ride...

... Is a fond memory that glows radiantly with warmth.

Related Characters: George Takei (speaker), Daddy/Takekuma Norman Takei, Mama, Henry Takei, Nancy Reiko Takei
Page Number: 100
Explanation and Analysis:

Our childhoods continued to be made up of grotesquely abnormal circumstances...which would eventually become our “normal.”

It had become routine to line up three times a day to eat lousy food in a noisy mess hall...but the routines of incarceration had all been thrown out. Now we found ourselves in constantly noisy surroundings with a perpetual stench.

But children are amazingly adaptable. We would survive this experience too.

Related Characters: George Takei (speaker), Henry Takei, Nancy Reiko Takei
Page Number: 168
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire They Called Us Enemy LitChart as a printable PDF.
They Called Us Enemy PDF

Nancy Reiko Takei Quotes in They Called Us Enemy

The They Called Us Enemy quotes below are all either spoken by Nancy Reiko Takei or refer to Nancy Reiko Takei. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
American Democracy and Civic Engagement Theme Icon
).
They Called Us Enemy Quotes

Childhood memories come rich with sensations...

... Fragrances, sounds, colors, and especially temperatures. That golden afternoon when Daddy took the family on that wonderful jeep ride...

... Is a fond memory that glows radiantly with warmth.

Related Characters: George Takei (speaker), Daddy/Takekuma Norman Takei, Mama, Henry Takei, Nancy Reiko Takei
Page Number: 100
Explanation and Analysis:

Our childhoods continued to be made up of grotesquely abnormal circumstances...which would eventually become our “normal.”

It had become routine to line up three times a day to eat lousy food in a noisy mess hall...but the routines of incarceration had all been thrown out. Now we found ourselves in constantly noisy surroundings with a perpetual stench.

But children are amazingly adaptable. We would survive this experience too.

Related Characters: George Takei (speaker), Henry Takei, Nancy Reiko Takei
Page Number: 168
Explanation and Analysis: