UNBREAKABLE

With co-author Gutiérrez, the late Tonai tells the story of his family’s imprisonment by the U.S. government during World War II.

The life that young Min’s parents built in California after emigrating from Japan is upended after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. FBI agents take his father away, suspecting him of being a spy; before leaving, Papa hands Min a small stone—“for strength.” Min’s mother takes over running the family grocery, but soon, she, Min, and his siblings are incarcerated, too, first at Santa Anita Park in California, then in Granada Relocation Center in the barren Colorado desert. Throughout their ordeal, Min keeps his stone close, hoping fervently for his father’s return. Years later, Papa rejoins his family in Granada, bearing a suitcase full of stones collected at various prisons he’s been sent to, and Min and his father create a beautiful rock garden amid cacti and barbed wire. The narration provides just enough background to enlighten readers about this dark episode of U.S. history while never overwhelming them, foregrounding Min’s deeply relatable uncertainties: “Will my family…be safe?” “Why are people so afraid of us?” Sasaki’s earth-toned illustrations evoke strong emotion. Deep shadows and dramatic angles portend Min’s father’s arrest. When the family is finally reunited, the images rejoice in the determined beauty of cactus flowers blossoming despite their bleak surroundings—a moving metaphor for the Tonais’ own story.

The emotionally attuned, richly told tale of one family’s unjust incarceration.