A book review by Alisha Provost
“Una Storia Segreta”

The book “Una Storia Segreta,” which means A Story of Segregation. “Una Storia Segreta,” is not only a book but it is an exhibit in a museum. Both the written copy (book) and the exhibit is a story about how the Italian American immigrants were among the Japanese who were interned during World War 2.

When I first received this book and started reading I was unaware of Italians being interned during the Second World War. I had known of the Japanese being the ones interned because well Japan was the one who bombed Pearl Harbor. So why would Italians be interned with Japanese Americans? Italians were interned because of the fact that the country Italy was on the Allies side during the First World War but switched sides to the Axis during the Second World War. So when Italy did that it made all the Italian American immigrants considered an enemy alien.

The word enemy alien is a term used among those who have immigrated from Japan, Italy, or even Germany. German American immigrants were also interned amongst the two however; Italians and Japanese immigrants were the highest to be interned. Now if you were from one of the three countries you were considered to be dangerous and with all dangerous people you have to exclude them and make restrictions. Many were denied housing because they were too dangerous. One individual had to live in a chicken coop because he was denied housing. Many Italians faced evacuation from their homes on the coast. Any enemy alien living on the coastline, by dams or power lines was told to leave their homes and to live more inland (at least five miles away). This was because the Government had this idea that Italians were going to burn down bridges. Not only was there evacuation but there were restrictions on when one could be outside. Italians could not leave their homes from 8:00 P.M. to 11:00 A.M. This restriction made it extremely hard for those with jobs that have weird times. These jobs consisted of being a fisherman, baker, restaurant worker, ect. Many Italians were fishers and took pride in their job so by putting these restrictions on them many lost their boats. Things such as cameras, flashlights, and radios were also confiscated from those who were considered dangerous.

Many enemy aliens faced being arrested and for a cause no one knew about. Not only did Italians not know the reason for them being arrested but they also didn’t know where they were going. By not telling Italians the reason for them being arrested many got the frame of mind that the reason why they were getting arrested was because they were Italian. This made many Italians want to become “American.” To be American they stopped speaking their native language and would drop an “e” from their last name so that their last name looked American. Italian parents who had children who were born in the United States made their children enlist into the military so that they could become American. Majority of the U.S. military was made up of Italian decent. However, they were not treated like they were apart of the military. Many Italians had their missions postponed or not even given a mission because their parents were being interned. There was one individual who was Italian and took a test along with another American individual. The two were told that they scored the highest and were going to be given a mission out in Florida. Both were excited however the Italian never got to leave because his mother was being interned so in a way he was considered dangerous. Having a son or daughter in the military didn’t save you from being set to internment. This was ironic to me because the son or daughter is fighting for the country while their parents are being interned and having to worry about their children. How could one survive that emotionally?

Many Italian American immigrants were eager to fight for the United States however; they were forced to have to fight against Italy. Italy was home to some who had enlisted in the military. One individual by the name of Dibugnara enlisted as soon as he heard the news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He was eager and ready to fight. However, he wasn’t yet a citizen but by enlisting and fighting he would have became a citizen. Dibugnara was to fight in the same theatre as Italy. Now he had two brothers who were apart of the Italian Army. So Dibugnara had a chance of killing his own family. Dibugnara couldn’t fight in that theatre in fear that he would kill his brothers. The military didn’t like that one bit so they made Dibugnara choose between fighting in the military (possibly killing brothers) or to be discharged and considered an dangerous enemy alien. Dibugnara choose to be discharged because how could one have to choose between killing family and becoming a citizen? Dibugnara wasn’t the only individual who had a hard time fighting in the same theatre as Italy. Many weren’t willing to fight against Italy but were more than willing to fight against Japan and Germany. Due to the fact that they didn’t want to fight against Italy they were considered un- loyal to the American Government.

While reading this book I found some things to be redundant because the editor Lawrence DiStasi had parts when he would explain a story than later on in the book he would have the actual story. However, this didn’t make the book boring or less effective. I personally liked this book because it allowed me to see just how there are more than just one race that gets targeted. The majority always sees the ones who are the main target but there is always more than one target and this book proves that. Not to mention this book also opened my eyes on just how in times of emergency many like to target those who are easy to make an enemy. Rather they were a neighbor, born in America, had sons fighting for the country, lived in America for years but were too proud to become a citizen because they were unable to understand the test, ect. No matter what many use someone else as their scapegoat which may make them go through something that they don’t even deserve.