Sweltering temps have arrived in full force. Reminds me that eighty years ago, some American citizens had been ushered into poorly insulated camps to sweat out the summer. Taken from their homes in various areas of our country as potential enemy aliens and shipped to internment camps, they had no choice.
Years later, some government officials regretted these actions, especially in certain specific cases where very slim evidence led to arrests of innocent families and great hardship.
LAND THAT I LOVE addresses this historical situation that I discovered through my research for this novel. Of course, I knew about Japanese and Italian citizens forced from their homes and livelihoods. But who had heard of this occurring to German American citizens, as well?
Sometimes we uncover disheartening facts about the past–a camp specifically for German-American citizens sat deep in the heart of Texas. Imagine the heat these interned Americans endured! It’s good to understand the tensions people experienced during World War II, and to learn from the ways they coped.
If this bit of information intrigues you, I think you’d enjoy reading Land That I Love.
It did happen, and like many things, internment was well-intentioned but poorly executed. Today, with all of the illegal immigration, we would be unable to even attempt to carry out such an action were we attacked. Another example of how fear drives wrong action. Great book for anyone who hasn’t read it yet. Don’t wait!
So true. We only have to look around us to see how much FEAR drives reactions but having someone call it out is a GOOD thing! Thanks, J.D.
Gail, I knew about German and Italian POW camps in North Carolina (one ten minutes from where I live), but I didn’t know about German- and Italian-American citizens in internment camps. Good intentions gone bad. Thanks for educating me.
I only learned about the German-Americans recently. The government’s reaction at that time is understandable during wartime, but in some cases hard to accept. Reminds me that in doing research, we have to keep a lot of things in mind to get into the mindset of the day.
I learned a lot about Texas history reading Land that I Love, including German American internment camps, about which I was unaware. Read this informative, but entertaining story.