How individuals react when freedom has been restricted has been on my mind lately. As a member of the writing community and book clubs, I have been reading novels yet to be published and one already published about World War II.

HUMAN DESIRE FOR FREEDOM

Oppression causes suffering. None of us wants to suffer, and we are hardwired to run from it. Psychologists also believe we may be hardwired to desire autonomy. We lose autonomy when we feel coerced by external pressures or internal pressures such as shame or guilt.

We don’t get our own way all the time, however, if we want to stay in a relationship, work for someone else, or have friends. But knowing we have a choice makes all the difference.

FREEDOM AND NAZI GERMANY

On May 17, 1940, Germany began its occupation of the Netherlands, which would last until May 5, 1945. During that time, the Nazis persecuted the Jews and deported thousands of them to extermination camps. The remainder of the population suffered from lack of fuel and starvation.

Many of the Dutch either chose— or were forced— to collaborate with the invaders. A group of Dutch, called the Henneike Column, were responsible for hunting down Jews in hiding and arresting approximately 8,000 to 9,000 them who were later sent to extermination camps. Others, however, resisted. Look for Secrets of the Artis Zoo by Paulette Mahurin, being published by Black Rose Writing in September 2026.

FREEDOM AND THE JAPANESE EMPIRE

The Japanese occupied the Philippines from May 6, 1942, to September 2, 1945, committing unspeakable atrocities—forcing some into sexual slavery, killing infants for fun, performing human experimentation on them, and forcing many Filipinos into work details.

Despite the occupation, the resistance remained active, controlling the island’s rural areas. R. Ghrist’s novel, I Am Joey, due out in May 2026 from Black Rose Writing, is a fabulous look at the resistance.

Note: I would love to tell you more amazing details about what happens but don’t want to spoil the story for you.

FREEDOM AND THE UNITED STATES

The last book I read has been out for a while. The Train to Crystal City: FDR’s Secret Prisoner Exchange Program and America’s Only Family Internment Camp During World War II by Jan Jarboe Russell is nonfiction and was published in 2015. OMG!

 The U.S. detained men of Japanese, Italian, and German origins who were designated “enemy aliens” at the Crystal City camp located in Texas beginning in December 1942.

Their families—many containing U.S. citizen children—were allowed to join their husbands and fathers. These individuals were then exchanged for prisoners that the U.S. wanted released from the Axis powers.

What disturbed me is that some exchanges were made just as Japan and Germany were collapsing, leaving these families stranded in a war-ravaged country without a way to return. Additionally, the U.S. pressed Latin American countries to round up and deport their German and Japanese residents to the U.S. Then, upon their arrival, they were arrested on the grounds that they had attempted to enter the company illegally and detained in internment camps.

While their living conditions were not as brutal as those in the Netherlands and the Philippines, these individuals were not free. They were plucked from their homes and plopped in the desert, not because of what they had done, but because of who they were.

LAST THOUGHTS ON FREEDOM

When I watch the news on television about the tactics ICE is using to round up illegal immigrants, my thoughts roam to these stories. NBC reported that Joe Rogan, an influential podcaster with over 20.6 million followers, mused:

“I can also see the point of view of the people that say, ‘Yeah, but you don’t want militarized people in the streets just roaming around snatching people up, many of which turn out to actually be U.S. citizens that just don’t have their papers on them,’” Rogan said. “Are we really going to be the Gestapo? ‘Where’s your papers?’ Is that what we’ve come to?”

I hope not. It’s time to examine our values and who we, as a nation, want to be.

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