The community is invited to join us Tuesday May 12, 2026 at 5:30 pm to discuss George Takei's They Called Us Enemy, with multiple physical copies of the book available to borrow at the library and unlimited digital copies of the eBook available from April 1 through June 6 on the Libby app by Overdrive. Teresa Tamura, author of Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp, will be participating and offering special insights as part of Walla Walla Public Library's participation in One Book, One Coast, a shared reading initiative connecting more than 130 library systems across California, Oregon, and Washington.

Through this shared reading experience, communities are encouraged to explore themes of identity, patriotism, family, loyalty, and resilience while strengthening connections through dialogue and learning.

As the largest book club on the West Coast, One Book, One Coast brings readers together around one book to create opportunities for conversation, reflection, and meaningful connection across neighborhoods, cities, and state lines. Other events include an opportunity to learn about the Japanese-American prison camp arts of "gaman" and create paper flowers from 1:00-4:00 pm on Tuesday, April 7;  a talk about the Minidoka, Idaho prison camp by Marleen Ramsey, Ph.D. at 5:30 pm on Thursday, May 14;  a discussion of They Called Us Enemy at the Library Book Club meeting at 12:00 pm on Wednesday May 20; and a live presentation by George Takei via Zoom on Sunday May 31, 2026.

About the book: They Called Us Enemy is a powerful graphic memoir by George Takei that reflects on civil liberties, democracy, and what it means to be American — both historically and today.