A LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITOR'S CHOICE • Bestselling author Richard Reeves
provides an authoritative account of the internment of more than 120,000 Japanese-Americans and Japanese aliens during
World War II
Less than three months after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and inflamed the nation, President Roosevelt signed an executive
order declaring parts of four western states to be a war zone operating under rule. The U.S. Army immediately
began rounding up thousands of Japanese-Americans, sometimes giving them less than 24 hours to vacate their houses and
farms. For the rest of the war, these victims of war hysteria were imprisoned in primitive camps.
In Infamy, the story of this appalling chapter in American history is told more powerfully than ever before. Accled
historian Richard Reeves has interviewed survivors, read numerous private letters and memoirs, and combed through
archives to deliver a sweeping narrative of this atrocity. Men we usually consider heroes-FDR, Earl Warren, Edward R.
Murrow-were in this case villains, but we also learn of many Americans who took great risks to defend the rights of the
internees. Most especially, we hear the poignant stories of those who spent years in "war relocation camps," many of
whom suffered this terrible injustice with remarkable grace.
Racism, greed, xenophobia, and a thirst for revenge: a dark strand in the American character underlies this story of one
of the most shameful episodes in our history. But by recovering the past, Infamy has given voice to those who ultimately
helped the nation better understand the true meaning of patriotism.
Praise for Infamy
“A compulsively readable, emotionally rich and passionately written account of the internment of 120,000 American
Japanese in concentration camps during World War II.... Reeves' excellent Infamy, the first popular, general history
of the subject in more than 25 years, reminds us that not only can it happen here, it did.... Every reader who has
lived the post-9/11 era will immediately notice the parallels.”―Los Angeles Times
“Highly readable.... The story of this national disgrace, long buried...still has the power to shock. [Infamy is a]
vivid and instructive reminder of what war and fear can do to civilized people.” ―Evan Thomas, The New York Times Book
Review
“History's judgment is that internment...was wrong. Mr. Reeves's excellent book gives us an rtunity to learn from
past mistakes.... Reeves is especially good at bringing to life the social experience of internment.” ―The Wall Street
Journal
“Richard Reeves's book on the harsh, prolonged and unjustified internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II is
a detailed account of a painful and shameful period in modern American history. Infamy combines Reeves's journalist's
training with his historian's eye to give us a page-turner on how hysteria at the highest levels can shatter our most
fundamental rights. Brace yourself and read this very important book.” ―Tom Brokaw, author of The Greatest Generation
“For years, the unjust relocation and incarceration of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans living on the West Coast
during World War II - the majority of them American citizens - was shrouded in shame and secrecy.... [Infamy's]
greatest strength is probably Reeves's masterful use of anecdotes, which enliven an epic story with poignant tales of
individual hardship, courage, and endurance.” ―The Boston Globe
“Infamy tells the story of why and how the American government--with the full support of its citizenry--illegally
interned Japanese-Americans. Richard Reeves even-handedly examines this dangerous precedent-setting time when the
Constitution was trampled by misinformation, prejudice, and fear. Today as Muslim and Hispanic immigrants are being
blamed for America's ills, Infamy is a timely and important read.” ―James Bradley, author of s of Our hers and
The China Mirage
“In Infamy, journalist Richard Reeves...provides a sweeping and searching account of this appalling chapter in the
history of the United States.... Reeves reserves the heart of his book -- and rightfully so -- for a narrative of the
heartbreaking experiences of evacuated individuals and families.” ―San Francisco Chronicle
“Infamy...is perhaps the most thorough history of the relocation to date.” ―The Denver Post
“More than 120,000 Japanese-Americans were locked up during World War II...[and Infamy] tells their tale with energy,
compassion and moral outrage.... With meticulous care [Reeves documents] the decisions made in Washington by the
world's most powerful men, and how those decisions affected the lives of ordinary Americans whose only crime was to be
of Japanese descent.” ―Minneapolis Star Tribune