By Laurie Lyda

Rowan Public Library

When it was announced that George Takei’s Broadway musical “Allegiance” would be shown on Dec. 13 at selected cinemas nationwide, I immediately bought tickets and encouraged friends and family to do the same.

For any who were unfamiliar with the historical events that inspired “Allegiance,” I shared materials from my personal library, and I also located materials that are part of Rowan Public Library’s collection.

While many know George Takei from his role as Hikaru Sulu on “Star Trek,” not as many know that he and his family, along with other Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans, were interned on American soil during World War II.

Takei, who was born in Los Angeles, has often shared his experiences. His 1994 autobiography, “To the Stars,” which is part of RPL’s collection, begins with his family’s forcible relocation and internment at Camp Rohwer.

In the TED Talk, “Why I love a country that once betrayed me,” Takei shares that for his 4-year-old self, “being in a barbed wire prison camp became my normality.”

As an adult, Takei has sought to remember and share stories of the interned and the consequences they suffered because of that internment. “Allegiance,” based on his family’s experiences, is a culmination of this passion.

Takei, who also stars in the musical, stated in an “Entertainment Weekly” interview, “So many people around the globe have never heard about this dark part of our nation’s history, and it is an honor and privilege for me to help tell this story so that we can avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. I am deeply grateful that almost 120,000 people experienced the Broadway production during its run, an eerie reflection of the number of Japanese-Americans who were directly impacted by the events depicted in ‘Allegiance.’”

Takei is not alone in his mission to preserve and remember. Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston’s “Farewell to Manzanar” (1973) recounts her family’s internment at Manzanar Camp. Using her recollections and in-depth research, Houston and her co-writer and husband, James D. Houston, share “a story, or a web of stories…tracing a few paths, out of the multitude of paths that led up to and away from the experience of the internment.”

Yoshiko Uchida’s “Invisible Thread: An Autobiography” (1991) includes chapters about her experiences at Camp Topaz and the effects of becoming “prisoners of our own country.” (Uchida’s “Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese American Family,” which is not currently in RPL’s collection, recounts their story in more detail.)

Others examine the topic through a historical lens. Karen Latchana Kenney’s “Korematsu v. The United States: World War II Japanese-American Internment Camps” (2013), part of the Landmark Supreme Court Cases series, walks readers through how legislative actions were used to inhibit the rights of Japanese-Americans. Kenney reminds us that the Korematsu decision, which expanded government powers and allowed the denial of an ethnic group’s civil liberties, “is commonly condemned as a civil rights disaster.”

In “Infamy: The Shocking Story of the Japanese American Internment in World War II” (2015), Richard Reeves uses survivor interviews, private letters and memoirs, and additional archival research to tell “an American story of enduring themes: racism and greed, injustice and denial—and then soul-searching, an apology, and the most American of coping mechanisms, moving on.”

In addition to the aforementioned print books, a search of the NC Live database (accessible via the “Online Tools” link on the RPL website) using the terms “Japanese American internment camps” yields numerous scholarly articles, news and magazine articles, and Ebooks.

NC Live can be accessed from any RPL branch as well as from your home. To access off-site, you simply need your library card number and PIN (the four-digit number you selected when receiving your library card). A librarian can assist with locating online materials and/or resetting your PIN. Call 704-216-8228 or visit www.rowanpubliclibrary.org for additional help.

Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. screening of “Allegiance” on Dec. 13 can be purchased via Fathom Events website and at selected cinemas. The show includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, including one with Takei.

National Parks 100th Celebration: Dec. 5, 6:30-7:30 p.m., headquarters. Free and open to the public. A pictorial journey through U.S. National Parks presented by Dr. Wyndham Whynot, professor of history at Livingstone College in celebration of the 100th year of the National Park Service. Accompanying display in the HQ display cabinets.

Chapter Chats Book Club: A weekly club for teens 14-17, primarily for participants with developmental or intellectual disabilities, but all are welcome. Meets at East branch meeting room, Tuesdays, 5 p.m., Dec. 6, 13, 20.

Staff development day: Dec. 9. All branches will be closed to the public for staff development.

Book Bites Book Club: South (China Grove), Dec. 13, 6-7 p.m. Free, open to the public. We discuss a different book each month and serve refreshments loosely related to the theme. “Fair and Tender Ladies,” by Lee Smith. Need a copy? Call 704-216-7731.

No-School Cinema: Dec. 22, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., East Branch, Rockwell. This Marvel Marathon features “Iron Man” I, II and III. All three films are rated PG-13 and have run-times of, respectively, 126 minutes, 124 minutes and 130 minutes. “Iron Man I” begins at 9:30 am, “Iron Man II” at noon, and “Iron Man III” at 2:30 p.m. All ages are welcome. Children ages 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Light refreshments will be served. This event is free, open to the public.

Movie Night at East: “Rear Window,” Dec. 28, 6 p.m., East Branch, Rockwell. Starring Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly, this murder mystery is as well-crafted narratively as it is aesthetically. This film is PG; runtime is 112 minutes. Light refreshments will be served. This event is free, open to the public, and all ages are welcome.

Winter Traditions: Dec. 6, 10 a.m.-noon at headquarters. Come learn about winter traditions from around the world. This program is geared for children under 11 years old and is sponsored by Smart Start Rowan.

Holiday Pajama Express: Dec. 6, 6-7:30 p.m., South Rowan Regional, China Grove. Hop on board for an evening of holiday fun, refreshments, and a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Don’t forget to wear your favorite holiday pajamas. Call 704-216-7729 for more details.

Stories with Elves: Dec. 10, 10:30 a.m.-noon, East branch, Rockwell. Join us in a fun-filled day of Christmas stories with the Elves from East Branch. Light refreshments with be served while we have crafts, activities, Christmas Karaoke and a special visit from you-know-who.

Family Movie Night: Dec. 13, 5:30 p.m., East Branch, Rockwell. “Arthur Christmas.” Can Santa deliver billions of presents to the world in one night? With Arthur’s help and determination, not one child will be forgotten. Rated PG, this film has a runtime of 97 minutes. Families and all ages welcome. Light refreshments will be served. This event is free, open to the public.

Treemendous Christmas: Dec. 14, 10 a.m.-noon, headquarters. Join us for holiday stories and fun, with a special visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. For more information call 704-216-8234.

Adult Outreach Movie: “Deck the Halls,” Dec. 15 at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and Dec. 20 at 2:30 p.m., headquarters. Christmas decorating turns into a feud between neighbors (Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick) in this 2007 film. Rated PG, this film has a runtime of 92 minutes. Light refreshments will be served. This event is free, open to the public, and all ages are welcome.

Displays for December: Headquarters, National Parks 100th Year Celebration; East, “It’s a Wonderful Life” Village, Tammie Foster; South, Carson High School student art work.

Literacy: Call the Rowan County Literacy Council at 704-216-8266 for more information on teaching or receiving literacy tutoring for English speakers or for those for whom English is a second  language.