LibGuides: Augie Reads 2021: When the Emperor Was Divine: Introduction

Welcome to Augustana, Class of 2025! This summer you will read the 2021 Augie Reads book, When the Emperor Was Divine, by Julie Otsuka. A short, 2-3 page essay about the book is due on the first day of your FYI 101 or FYH 101 class.

Although Otsuka's book is a work of fiction, it is based on real historical events: the incarceration of Japanese Americans by the United States government during World War II. If you are not familiar with this moment in U.S. history, please read some of the background information linked below to help you understand the book and write about it thoughtfully in your essay.

Japanese-American Incarceration: Introduction

Japanese-American WWII Incarceration: The Core Story
This introduction is divided up into sections, each of which is a few paragraphs long. Sections on the beginnings of Japanese American incarceration and life in the concentration camps will be especially helpful to understanding Otsuka's book, while other sections will provide additional context. From Densho, an organization dedicated to understanding the history of Japanese American incarceration in the U.S. during WWII.

Japanese Internment: Maps and Photographs

Japanese-American Internment, 1942-46
From the online Encyclopedia Britannica, this map shows the locations of the concentration camps. The "exclusion zones" refer to places designated as "military areas," where no Japanese-Americans were allowed to be present--unless they were forcefully being detained in a camp.
World War II in Photos: Internment of Japanese Americans
From the news magazine The Atlantic, a collection of photographs depicting Japanese-American incarceration.