Displacement Graphic Novel Spoiler-Free Review

 TW: Mentions of war, internment camps, racism, and politics

A few days ago I read Displacement by Kiku Hughes. This is a graphic novel about a teenage girl named Kiku who, during a summer vacation with her mother, gets randomly transported back in time to the WW2 era and experiences first hand what it was like to be in the internment camps a lot of Japanese-Americans got sent to, and she learns that her own grandmother and great-grandparents were victims themselves. She tries to navigate the past while trying to figure out how to get back to her own time, and how to explain all of it to her mother when she gets back. 

This graphic novel has a mix of being autobiographical (it's based on the author's own family history), science fiction, and historical, with educational bits and pieces underlying the main narrative. 

I really enjoyed this book! The story did get a little sad at times, but it was so fascinating to learn about the author's family history, and what she also experienced daily being Japanese American in modern times. I like the science fiction time travel approach she took in telling the story. Her artwork is really detailed and rich, too. 

I gave this book 4 stars because the story does deal with some heavy stuff (war, internment camps, racism, etc.), including politics. I know those topics can be triggering for some readers, so be careful. I was mostly interested in the author's own story about her and her family, and that's why I liked the book overall. As always, your mileage may vary if you choose to read this! 

Have you ever read anything that was semi-autobiographical?