Caged Eagles

Reviewed by Claudia Mason, Instructor

Caged Eagles is an historical fiction about the internment of Japanese Canadians during World War II. Told through the eyes of a fourteen-year old boy named Tadashi Fukushima, the story centers on the experiences of Tadashi and his family. Along with all the other villagers of Japanese descent, Tadashi and his family are forced to leave their home, a fishing village on the northern coast of British Columbia. Upon arriving at the internment center in Vancouver's Hastings Park, Tadashi expresses his horror when he finds that all the families will be housed in cattle stalls. "My head swirled and I needed to sit down, but there was no place to sit. I took a deep breath, a breath full of dust and the smell of animals and felt worse instead of better."

Things do indeed get worse instead of better, as the Fukushima family and the other detainees attempt to come to terms with what is happening to them. Caged Eagles tells of their great courage as they struggle to stand up for what they believe in and try to maintain their dignity is spite of the terrible injustice of their situation. This story is about racism, and the great harm it can cause, but it is also about the strength of the human spirit.

Friendship and family are two of the themes in this book. Sam, who has grown up in Vancouver, immediately befriends Tadashi. They develop a strong bond through their daring adventures inside and outside of the camp. The importance of family is stressed as Tadashi soon realizes nothing is more important than his family staying together. At the end of the story Tadashi writes to his friend back home, "This may not be where we want to be, but at least we're in the wrong place together."

Students were shocked by what they learned, and some said they would like to learn more about this topic. This book is quite long- 250 pages. It is a good choice for intermediate to advanced level literacy students who are interested in this disturbing part of Canadian history.