Join us to learn about Executive Order 9066 and the forced removal of Japanese Americans to incarceration camps during World War II, with an emphasis on the camp at Minidoka, Idaho.

Marleen Ramsey, Ph.D. will speak on this history 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. Marleen teaches at Gonzaga University, has taught classes and given lectures on the Japanese imprisonment camps, and has studied the Minidoka camp for her novel My Mother Told Me Stories, set at Minidoka.

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. 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.