THIS IS MY OWN: LETTERS TO WES & OTHER WRITINGS ON JAPANESE CANADIANS, 1941-1948. Kitagawa, Muriel. Edited by Roy Miki. Vancouver, Talonbooks, c1985. 302pp, paper, ISBN 0-88922-231-2 (cloth) $24.95, 0-88922-230-4 (paper) $12.95. CIP Grades 7 and up Reviewed by Joan Kerrigan Volume 14 Number 5 1986 September There have been a number of books and articles written on the subject of the treatment of Japanese Canadians during World War II, but none could be more eloquent and distressing than This is My Own. Muriel Kitagawa was born in Canada (a Nisei), and regarded this country as her native land. But such was the emotional fever of wartime that the rights of Canadian-born Japanese were disregarded, and vast numbers of their families were torn apart, with little or no regard for their feelings and loyalties. Twenty-one thousand individuals were uprooted, dispossessed and interned, although seventeen thousand were either naturalized or Canadian born. No evidence was ever unearthed to indicate that any members of this group were involved in either sabotage or espionage. Much of this book consists of the letters that Kitagawa wrote to her brother, Wes, who was in medical school in Toronto during the period of upheaval when the writer and her family were still in British Columbia. She wished to keep her brother informed about the disturbing events and to document the details of this tragic period, since she had experience as a journalist. Also included are articles written by Kitagawa after she moved to Toronto in 1942. as well as photographs and reproductions of government documents relating to the events. A comprehensive index and bibliography add to the usefulness of this book as a historical chronicle. Roy Miki's introduction provides an important background to the tellers and articles. He has produced a well-organised and perceptive document of one of the most tragic sagas of Canadian history. This is My Own is an essential purchase for all senior elementary and secondary school libraries. Young people in Canada should be aware that it can happen here. Joan Kerrigan, Toronto Board of Education, Toronto, Ont.