Enemy Child

At Heart Mountain War Relocation Center in Wyoming, young Norman Mineta encountered crowded barracks, bitter winters, dust, barbed wire, and poor food. But he also found friendship and small joys that helped his family endure.

Norman was a young boy when the bombing of Pearl Harbor upended his carefree childhood in San Jose, California. He and his family, along with more than 120,000 Japanese American citizens, were forced from their homes and into isolated camps.

Norman never forgot that experience. He went on to serve ten terms in the House of Representatives and in two presidential cabinets, becoming a driving force behind the legislation requiring the U.S. government to formally apologize to Japanese Americans for this egregious civil rights violations in American history.

Author Andrea Warren visited the site of Heart Mountain herself before tracking down Norman Mineta and asking him to share his story. The result is a powerful account of loss, resilience, and the enduring belief that wrongs can be made right.