Fred Korematsu Speaks Up

by Laura Atkins, Stan Yogi, Yutaka Houlette (Illustrator)

Overview

Winner, Carter G. Woodson Book Award * Winner, New-York Historical Society Children’s Book Prize * Winner, Social Justice Literature Award * Honor Title, Jane Addams Children’s Book Award * Finalist, 2017 Cybils Awards * Nominee, Georgia Children’s Book Award * Nominee, Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award * Nominee, South Carolina Junior Book Award * A Kirkus Best Book of the Year * An Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California Outstanding Title

Now in paperback: The award-winning story of Fred Korematsu's fight for justice, acclaimed by School Library Journal as "an invaluable profile of a civil rights hero."

Fred Korematsu liked listening to music on the radio, playing tennis, and hanging around with his friends—just like lots of other Americans. But everything changed when the United States was attacked by Japan in 1941 and the government forced all people of Japanese ancestry to leave their homes on the West Coast and move to distant prison camps. This included Fred, whose parents had immigrated to the United States from Japan many years before. But Fred refused to go. He knew that what the government was doing was unfair. And when he got put in jail for resisting, he knew he couldn't give up.

The first book in Heyday's Fighting for Justice series and now in paperback, the story of Fred Korematsu's fight against discrimination explores the life of one courageous person who made the United States a fairer place for all Americans, and it encourages all of us to speak up for justice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781597146890
Publisher:	Heyday
Publication date:	09/23/2025
Series:	Fighting for Justice , #1
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.00(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Laura Atkins is an author, teacher, and children's book editor with over thirty years of editorial experience. Her other books include Biddy Mason Speaks Up, Sled Dog Dachshund, and Calling All Future Voters! She is based in Berkeley. Find out more at lauraatkins.com.

Stan Yogi is coauthor of the history Wherever There’s a Fight and editor of the literary anthology Highway 99. He managed development programs for the ACLU of Northern California for fourteen years. He lives in Los Angeles.

Yutaka Houlette is a web developer and illustrator based in Oakland.

Editorial Reviews

Winner, Carter G. Woodson Book Award

Winner, New-York Historical Society Children’s Book Prize

Winner, Social Justice Literature Award

Honor Title, Jane Addams Children’s Book Award

Finalist, 2017 Cybils Awards

Nominee, Georgia Children’s Book Award

Nominee, Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award

Nominee, South Carolina Junior Book Award

A Kirkus Best Book of the Year

An Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California Outstanding Title

"An invaluable profile of a civil rights hero whose story deserves greater attention. Middle schoolers will take to the superb writing and original format."—School Library Journal, starred review

"Atkins and Yogi raise good questions … that will inspire a new generation of activists. This first book in the Fighting for Justice series is a must-read for all civics classrooms."—Kirkus, starred review

"This story should be in every classroom."—Rethinking Schools

"Questions aim at getting kids to look at their own lives, and an activist spread gives kids tips about how they can get involved … The current political climate seems ripe for Korematsu's story."—East Bay Times

"Now's the perfect moment for a civil rights refresher, which makes Fred Korematsu Speaks Up … right on time. Korematsu, an Oakland-born Japanese American who resisted internment during WWII, is given powerful treatment by authors Laura Atkins … and Stan Yogi and compelling images by Oakland illustrator Yutaka Houlette. Read it with a young revolutionary by your side."—San Francisco Magazine

"The relevance of the themes in Fred Korematsu Speaks Up in today's world is unmistakable … This book gives young readers, their parents, and their teachers a suitable way to create a meaningful discussion of these important public policies that affect us all. Best of all, young readers might even be inspired by this book to take action to change public policy. Korematsu's is an important story and should be part of our national educational curriculum."—Los Angeles Review of Books

"This timely history … describes the case and much more, serving admirably as a tutorial on civil rights, an introductory civics lesson, and a clarion call to action."—San Francisco Chronicle

"Its appeal and user-friendly presentation are undeniable. … Honors the legacy of an oft-forgotten champion of human rights in America."—Booklist

"A new book about civil rights icon Fred Korematsu's fight against Japanese American incarceration wants to teach young readers to 'stand up for what is right.'"—Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, NBC News

"We don't inherit democracy; we create it. Fred Korematsu Speaks Up shows us how."—Public Books

"A rare gift for young readers and parents of young activists-in-the-making."—Tamiko Nimura, International Examiner

"The authors and illustrator have given a gift to the world with their telling of this story, one which instead of needing to be 'required reading' will simply be devoured by young and old alike."—Craig Wiesner cofounder of Reach and Teach

"This is a book for all the young people who deserve to feel the joy and power of making a difference in this world and for the educators, parents, and grandparents who love them."—Jane Kurtz, cofounder of Ethiopia Reads

"Fred Korematsu Speaks Up has it all: a compelling storyline with an appealing hero, thorough and accurate background information that places his story in different contexts both historical and contemporary, and an inviting design that uses many visuals even those familiar with the story will not have seen. Easily one of the best nonfiction children's books on any aspect of Asian-American history."—Brian Niiya, content editor for Densho

"A powerful, nuanced book about a man who has had a profound impact on American civil liberties.”—Patricia Wakida, coeditor of Only What We Could Carry: The Japanese American Internment Experience

"Brilliant … The authors do a terrific job of placing Mr. Korematsu's bravery in its historical context, and don't flinch at exposing the heavy price he paid for his choices."—Elizabeth Partridge, award-winning author of Marching for Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don't You Grow Weary

"Not only pays homage to Korematsu the man, but underlines the particular importance of his story."—Nichi Bei Weekly

"To the reader who is an immigrant, this is an empowering story. To the one who is not, this is the bridge to help him understand what it took for his neighbor, classmate, or friend to enjoy the same freedom today."—Nathalie Mvondo, Multiculturalism Rocks!

From the Publisher

★ 2016-11-16
When Fred Korematsu, a young Japanese-American man, defied U.S. governmental orders by refusing to report to prison camps during World War II, he and his allies set in motion a landmark civil liberties case.Like any American, Fred dreams of marriage and raising a family with his sweetheart, Ida, a daughter of Italian immigrants. But after the attack on Pearl Harbor, wartime hysteria spreads, and Japanese natives and Japanese-Americans on the West Coast are ordered to prison camps. Knowing this is unjust, Fred changes his name and calls himself "Spanish Hawaiian" but becomes dismayed knowing others are imprisoned in camps. His identity ultimately discovered, he is jailed following his arrest for his refusal to report to the camps and there meets Ernest Besig, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union. Together, they begin a long and against-all-odds fight against injustice. Written in free verse, Fred's story engages in powerful bursts and shows how speaking out brings complex consequences. Enhanced with pictures and archival materials, well-researched and approachable historical essays interspersed throughout Fred's account offer context, while Houlette's reverent illustrations give humanity to Fred's plight. Co-authors Atkins and Yogi raise good questions (such as, "Have you ever been blamed for something just because of how you look?") that will inspire a new generation of activists. This first book in the Fighting for Justice series is a must-read for all civics classrooms. (resources for activism, note from Karen Korematsu, bibliography) (Blended nonfiction/historical fiction. 8-14)

Kirkus Reviews