Book Flight: a group that samples across the genres. Each month we will try something new and meet together to dive into the book together!

This month, the Monterey Public Library is participating in a reading initiative that promotes building a community of readers!

Stretching from California’s southern border to northmost tip of Washington state, One Book, One Coast (OBOC) is a brand-new, multi-state community reading initiative that brings readers together around a shared book, sparking conversation, programs and reflection across the West Coast.

One Coast. One Book. Many Voices.

The inaugural selection, They Called Us Enemy is a graphic memoir by George Takei that recounts his childhood experience of incarceration alongside more than 120,000 people of Japanese descent, most of whom were U.S. citizens, following Executive Order 9066 in 1942.

What happens when fear and prejudice become government policy? In They Called Us Enemy, George Takei shares his childhood experience of being incarcerated with his family in U.S. camps during World War II. Told through the graphic memoir format, the book follows Takei from early childhood to his later understanding of what it meant to lose his home, freedom, and civil rights. Clear, powerful, and deeply human, They Called Us Enemy connects personal memory to American history, showing how injustice leaves lasting marks on individuals, families, and communities.

George Takei is a renowned civil rights activist, social media icon, Grammy-nominated recording artist, New York Times bestselling author, and pioneering actor whose career has spanned over six decades. Best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek, Takei has appeared in more than 40 feature films and hundreds of television episodes. He has leveraged his public profile to champion social justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and marriage equality. Takei’s advocacy is deeply personal. As a child during World War II, he and his family were among the 125,000 Japanese Americans unjustly imprisoned in U.S. incarceration camps—a formative experience that shaped his lifelong commitment to civil rights and public service. Currently, Takei serves as chair emeritus and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Japanese American National Museum. He was appointed to the Japan-United States Friendship Commission by President Bill Clinton and, in 2004, was honored by the Emperor of Japan with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, for his significant contributions to U.S.-Japan relations.