The Two Terrors of Tulelake

By WM Gunn

Historical Fiction / Science Fiction / Thriller

Pages: 320

Publication Date: October 15, 2024

Synopsis

The horrors of World War II shocked the world. Americans believed it could never happen here in our own borders…until it did.

Ichiro Hisakawa and his family were part of the American culture – living the American Dream – until February 19, 1942, when President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 that branded them “the others.” Taken from their homes and stripped of their citizenship due to their ancestry, they endured deplorable conditions in the “relocation camps.” Typhus ran rampant through the camp, and riots were a daily occurrence. And for the first time, America was scornful. Life was difficult, and the Hisakawa family did their best to endure it all.

However, 16-year-old Ichiro wasn’t prepared for the betrayal, murder, and escape that was waiting for him. And how did Bobby King, a sixteen-year-old from 2017, find himself in 1942 and friend to Ichiro?

Read The Two Terrors of Tulelake, a story based upon historical facts that many Americans today are unaware of.

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Review

The horrors of war bring out the worst in people. This is one of those horrific parts of American history.

While we are all familiar with the concentration camps during WWII, are you familiar with the internment camps that were set up in the US to house those of Japanese descent? I don’t think I was familiar with them until recently, and it is horrifying to learn that they were not treated much better than Jewish people in Germany. This novel could easily send someone down a rabbit hole researching Tule Lake and other internment camps.

While this story is fictional, it is based on a real place and probably actual events. However, this book has a different twist on the tale. It is how a young man from the present ends up in the camp and how it impacts his life.

Bobby King is a bully, plain and simple. He terrorizes those around him in the small town of Tulelake. No one is safe from his wrath, not even adults. He is pretty proud of what he does to those around him, which is sad but not uncommon for bullies. However, an accident that gives him a concussion changes his life forever.

Ichiro is one of the unlucky ones who end up in the Tule Lake internment camp with his family. The crux of the story focuses on life in the camp. While their life is a little better than those in the concentration camps, there are plenty of guards and town citizens who hold these detainees responsible for things that are not their doing. Many of those in the camps are American citizens, but because of their ancestry, they are held against their will. All they can do is try to make the best of the situation and hope their situation will change fast. Some guards do not believe these people should be held, but they are powerless to do anything other than try to make it better for them while they are there.

I enjoyed this book and learned much about that time and the camps. Following these two young men’s lives made me appreciate that I did not endure what they did. While Bobby’s actions were unacceptable, he learned that he was not much better than some of those in the camps – whether it was the guards who did not want to be there or even some of the detainees who sought to change things at the camp. Actually, some of the detainees were bullies, too. However, there were just as many that were good, kind people.

Without giving away too much, the story has a satisfying ending for many characters. Lessons are learned, and behaviors are changed. The only question that wasn’t answered is how Bobby ended up in the past. I suppose this is the science fiction part of the story. However, it reminds me of an episode from South Park where Cartman ends up in the past. It is also the beauty of fiction; reality can be stretched beyond our imaginations.

We give this book 4 1/2 stars. If you are interested in history and World War II events, you should check it out.

About the Author

WM Gunn is a native Texan who spent many years in the pharmaceutical industry in sales, sales management, and training and development. He is active in writing groups and volunteering with non-profit groups. He lives in his hometown in Texas with his high school sweetheart and bride of many years.

To date, he has written dozens of short stories, novellas, and novels. Holmes, Moriarty, and the Monkeys and Chasing the Sun are two novellas released earlier in 2024. Visit his website, wm-gunn.com.

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