Brisante Neuerscheinung: "Inside America's Concentration Camps"

Mit einem provokanten Titel macht eine Neuerscheinung auf dem amerikanischen Buchmarkt von sich reden: "Inside America's Concentration Camps: Two Centuries of Internment and Torture". Der Verlag selbst stellt das Buch so vor:

Exploring the history and tragedy of concentration camps that were built, staged, and filled with adults and children under the orders of the U.S. government, this vivid narrative brings the stories of victims and flaws of American government to life. Beginning in the 1830s with the imprisonment of Native Americans, this investigation details the camps that reappeared during World War II with the round-up of Japanese Americans, German Americans, Italian Americans, and Jews fleeing Nazi Germany, as well as more recently during the Bush administration with the construction of new concentration camps in Cuba. The moving personal experiences of those imprisoned in the camps, including accounts of how the U.S. government removed children of Japanese ancestry from orphanages only to replace them in camps, are included within this eye-opening history. Both heartbreaking and inspirational, this authoritative record of survival suggests a call to action for those who read it.

Das Branchenmagazin Publisher's Weekly befindet in einer kurzen Besprechung dieses Buches:

While most Americans are familiar with the history of Japanese internment camps during WWII, few know the extent of America's racially-motivated internment. Dickerson seeks to offer readers a comprehensive history of American concentration camps and internment facilities but, while the book purports to cover two centuries of internment and abuse, it really only investigates WWII and the Trail of Tears. Dickerson highlights American abuse against native populations, and touches upon wartime internment not just of Japanese, but also of Jews, Italians, and Germans. His research includes a great number of heartbreaking stories; from Jewish immigrants who escaped the Nazis only to end up in American camps thanks to the low wartime immigration quotas, to Japanese orphans living on subsistence rations, these personal tales throw a vague chapter of the historical record into sharp relief. With economy and insight, Dickerson presents yesterday as a lesson for today and takes a close look at Guantanamo Bay and modern race relations between America and the Arab world.

Eine weitere Rezension beginnt mit folgenden Worten:

At first glance, a title like "Inside America’s Concentration Camps: Two Centuries of Internment and Torture" seems a little excessive. This is the good old USA we are talking about after all, not Nazi Germany. But after reading investigative journalist James L. Dickerson’s latest expose, I understand his choice of words. While the term “Concentration Camps” is unquestionably inflammatory, it does get your attention. And what has occurred in these places over the past 200 years is deplorable.

Hier geht es weiter.