Caged Eagles

By Eric Walters

When Canada went to war with Japan following the bombing of Pearl Harbour, Canadians of Japanese descent were declared "Enemy Aliens." Without recourse of any kind, they were forced to leave their homes along with the British Columbia coast, their possessions were sold, and their rights as citizens denied. Caged Eagles follows fourteen-year-old Tadashi Fukushima and his family as they embark on a tortuous physical and emotional journey. Along with neighbours from their remote village on the northern BC coast, they travel by fishing boat to Vancouver, where they are placed in detention in Hastings Park, the Pacific National Exhibition ground, and forced to live in cattle stalls. For Tadashi detention becomes both an adventure and a dilemma as he struggles to understand the undercurrents of racism and injustice that have overtaken his life and those of his community.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Release date: Jan 1, 2001
• ISBN: 9781551435152

Eric Walters

Eric Walters, a former elementary school teacher, is a bestselling children’s author in Canada. He is the founder of Creation of Hope, which provides care for orphans in the Makueni district of Kenya. His recent books include The Rule of Three series and Nothing to Fear.

Reviews for Caged Eagles

[bonnie_ferrante · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The story is told from the point of view of a fourteen-year-old boy of Japanese descent during the internment in the Second World War. His father is a fisherman, as are most of the men in his community in British Columbia, so they are interrogated as possible spies. The family is shipped off with hundreds of other families to a park. Sounds good, but in actual fact, they must sleep in a barn that reeks of cattle with dozens of other families. Father is kept in a separate building and grandmother is having difficulty eating the terrible food. Tadashi was born in Canada, speaks perfect English, and Japanese, but not so with all the interned people. He meets a boy who, although he is of pure Japanese descent, cannot speak a word of Japanese. The elders feels dishonored. No one understands why this is being done to them, where they are to go, and what is to happen to their things and homes. Heartbreaking story of one of Canada's most shameful historical events.