PICTURE BOOK REVIEW : Barbed Wire Between Us by Mia Wenjen & Violeta Engarnacion
ABOUT THE BOOK
Barbed Wire Between Us is a powerful reverso poem that tells two deeply resonant stories across time. It begins with a Japanese American girl sent to an internment camp in Oklahoma during World War II. Read in reverse, it reveals the journey of a Latina girl detained in the very same camp decades later, during the U.S. policy of migrant family separation. Harrowing and emotionally charged, this poetic narrative compels us to confront a haunting question: What have we truly learned in the past 80 years about how we treat the most vulnerable among us? With haunting symmetry and striking parallels, Barbed Wire Between Us is a moving meditation on justice, memory, and the echoes of history that still shape our present.
REVIEW
The reverso poem at the heart of Barbed Wire Between Us provides a heart-wrenching look at the mistreatment that many immigrants have experienced in the United States. The first half of the book looks at a Japanese American girl's experience in an internment camp during World War II. The poem is then reversed and read with the lines in reverse order. The second half of the book looks at the experience of a girl coming in through the U.S. southern border in recent times. It's a bit shocking to realize the parallels between the two girls' experiences. The poem reads beautifully in both directions. The illustrations are gorgeous and powerful in their depictions of both girls and the situations they find themselves enduring. The double page spread in the middle, dividing the two parts of the book shows only barbed wire, making a powerful statement in and of itself. Despite the difficult circumstances both girls face, the book still holds on to hope that life will be better when freedom comes. The back matter includes an author's note about what inspired the book and her own family's experiences with immigrant detention. Additional back matter includes a description of the real life setting for the book (Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma) and a description of the type of poem used in the book. While written for children, the book has much to offer in terms of discussion for any age: child, teen, or adult. Highly recommended.
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