This spring, Alameda County Library invites the community to join One Book, One Coast, a shared reading program with more than 130 participating libraries in California, Oregon, and Washington. As the largest book club on the West Coast, One Book, One Coast brings people together to read the same book and share ideas, stories, and conversations across communities.
About the 2026 Book: They Called Us Enemy
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger, and illustrated by Harmony Becker, is a graphic memoir recounting George Takei’s childhood experience in American incarceration camps during World War II. The book explores themes of patriotism, family, loyalty, identity, and what it means to be American.
How Readers Can Participate:
- Starting Tuesday, March 31, pick up a free copy at any AC Library location while supplies last. Be sure to stop by early to get your copy!
- Multiple copies will also be available to borrow in AC Library’s collection in English and Spanish.
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Prefer reading the book online? Get digital copies:
- Through the Libby app by OverDrive from April 1 through June 6 in English and Spanish. Members can borrow it anytime with no wait.
- Through hoopla in English and Spanish.
AC Library will host programs and events across our libraries to discuss and reflect on the book’s themes. Upcoming programs include:
- In-person and online book discussions of the One Book, One Coast 2026 book, They Called Us Enemy.
- “Life Behind Barbed Wire,” a special conversation and Q&A with Yukio Shimomura, survivor of the internment camps established under Executive Order 9066.
To close the program, George Takei will appear for a special author talk on Sunday, May 31 at 2 pm. The event will be livestreamed on YouTube so readers across the West Coast can participate together. A link to the livestream will be shared before the event.
For more information about One Book, One Coast programming, please visit AC Library’s event calendar.