Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp

A powerful, emotional, and ultimately uplifting picture book about the real-life experience of a Japanese American boy incarcerated with his family during World War II.

Cowritten by Minoru (Min) Tonai, an advocate for Japanese American rights, Unbreakable is based on Tonai’s harrowing real-life experiences and has been welcomed with five starred reviews.

This moving picture book includes extensive back matter: information on the American incarceration camps and the campaign to release Tonai’s father, a timeline, a bibliography, author and illustrator notes, and questions for further discussion perfect for caregivers and educators to further engage young readers.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, strength comes in the form of the small, smooth stone Min’s father gives him before being led away by FBI agents. In his absence, Min and his family do their best to keep their produce business afloat and earn enough support to get Min’s father released. But the FBI won't release his father, and soon, Min and his family are forced into an incarceration camp in Colorado.

Imprisoned on the dusty plains and facing both the pain of displacement and the injustice of being incarcerated by his own country, Min must learn to adapt and to find beauty―and strength―where most wouldn’t.

Cowritten by Jolene Gutiérrez, author of Too Much! and Mamiachi & Me, and illustrated by acclaimed illustrator Chris Sasaki, this is an inspiring and powerful picture book. Share it with young readers who are asking questions about justice, belonging, and what it means to be American.

Lying in bed at night, Min thinks about things he’s lost:
his family’s home and business, Puppy, and most of all, Papa.
Min clutches his stone, hoping to see his father again.