Seen and Unseen

Starred review from October 24, 2022
Combining photography, art, and reproduced historical records for a documentarian effect, this thoughtful, immersive nonfiction narrative builds on the varied work of three individuals who photographed people of Japanese heritage imprisoned at Manzanar during WWII. Dorothea Lange, who worked for the War Relocation Authority in 1942, hoped to “show what the government was doing was unfair and undemocratic,” but faced limitations around what she was allowed to frame, and saw many of her images impounded. Toyo Miyatake, imprisoned at Manzanar from 1942 to 1945, secreted in a film holder and camera lens, capturing candid images and seeking to “record everything.” Ansel Adams, who “had not been against the incarceration” and photographed the prison camp in 1943, “didn’t want to show anything that made Manzanar look like a hard place to live.” In smartly contextualized prose, Partridge (Lange’s godchild), layers brief first-person accounts and facets of imprisonment, including language used to describe the U.S. government’s actions. In fluid lines, Tamaki’s mixed media artwork illustrates the events, including the Manzanar Riot—for which “there would be no photographic record.” Extended back matter, including an essay on the model minority myth, concludes this crucial, perspective-interested work. Ages 10–14.