Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the advanced reader copy of this book!

I really enjoyed reading this book. George Takeis life experiences were written so well and illustrated beautifully done! Listening to all the adversity George had overcome and how he gave to the people and community around him was truly inspiring. I needed this read to reignite some passion in myself and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to read this book. It was a heartwarming read and I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone!

It Rhymes with Takei is not only a memoir, but a historical account of life in the United States. I love how Takei was able to blend what was happening to him personally with the broader challenges going on around him. This was a very informative story and I was captivated by the entire thing. I think this is a powerful story with a hopeful message to keep going and fighting for what is right.

This was a compelling follow-up graphic novel about George Takei with a focus on his relationship with his sexuality, his political activism, and his acting career from the 50's into the present day. The tone is charismatic, wry and unflinching and the memoir is a satisfying blend of personal experience and historical fact woven in to provide the reader with context.

One of the most interesting parts of the memoir were the different jobs George Takei had when he wasn't acting. From running for a seat on the LA City Council, to working on the team that planned the LA Subway system, the memoir continues to hammer home the importance of being involved in the community and being politically active: in other words, it is a very prescient book.

The art is much in the same style as that in his first graphic novel—They Called Us Enemy—except it is now in full color.

I think this book did a good job of combining humor, sadness, and heartfelt moments. I enjoyed seeing Takei's past and journey into accepting himself, while also seeing his journey into becoming an actor. I like that it showed an honest look at both and the art was done really well.

Critically important subject matter that's presented in a digestible format for those not so keen on reading. It was a little disorienting for me at certain points, but only because of the graphic novel presentation. George is a genius, genuine gem. Cozy artwork style (not always cozy images, given the subjects within -- I cried during the A.I.D.S. portion).

Who am I to ever take someone's story and give it anything but a thank you for sharing? Takei, you are a very very brave man. Despite the world being hard on you, you fought through it and became an inspiration. Thank you.

Another sometimes painful, sometimes fun, but always hopeful graphic novel from George Takei. Like "They Called Us Enemy" this is a story that is a message of individuality, love, hope, and open-mindedness told through his own life. In this one we focus on the Pride aspects of Takei's experiences and the fight he's made for himself (and the rest of the community) along the way.

The title is about how "Takei rhymes gay" so that people could use his name to talk about themselves without breaking (very dumb bigoted) laws that censored the word 'gay'. I feel that the explanation of this (told in the first segment), gives you not only a synopsis of the book itself, but also tells you what a treasure George Takei really is.

Highly recommend this one for anyone struggling with their identity or who enjoyed his last graphic novel.

Writing Style
The writing style is everything you’d hope for in a graphic novel centred on George Takei. It’s equal parts snappy and heartfelt, mirroring his real-life charm. The story of his life—particularly his struggle with keeping a huge part of himself secret—was sometimes heartbreaking to read.

What stood out to me most was the natural flow of the dialogue. You can practically hear Takei’s signature baritone delivering every line. The humour is clever without being shoehorned in, and sombre moments are written with vulnerability and an understated elegance that packs an emotional punch.

Artwork
Harmony Becker's artwork is a perfect complement to the writing. The illustrations are expressive and brimming with personality.

The art style balances realism and cartoonish exaggeration, giving the characters plenty of energy and warmth, allowing George’s larger-than-life personality to practically leap off the pages.

Final Thoughts
It Rhymes with Takei was an absolute treat to read. The book is more than just a graphic novel; it’s a tribute to resilience, humour, and the power of storytelling itself. Whether you’re a Star Trek superfan or simply looking for an uplifting read, this book will have something to offer.

This book is another brilliant graphic novel from the former Star Trek actor George Takei. In his first graphic novel Takei dealt with his time at a Japanese internment camp during World War II. While this book is focuses on the effects Takei's sexuality had on his career and life. It also deals with some other parts of his life as well as social issues in general.

The book explores his life from when he was a young man realizing he was gay, and also tells the story of his life as a young actor and how his career got started. It also focuses on the danger that was present in the life of every gay person when it came to trying to find partners in the 50/60s. Takei is critical of his own reluctance to help the issues of gay rights in this period especially since he was helping with other issues affecting AAIP people in the post war period.

The book goes through Takei's career both in film and theater as well as his political career in California. This autobiography spans from The spans from the 50's in his childhood to the present day. Takei points out the progress that has been made but the way things still aren't the best they could be, highlighting things like the time it took to get gay marriage approved and the current book bans.

However despite some of the serious issues that come up in this book Takei remains positive with his trademark humor, the title itself is interesting as well because of Florida's Don't Say Gay law, instead of saying gay Takei suggest students and teachers use his last name to go around the bill showing how far he has come from being afraid of admit he was gay to his role as a gay icon.

A beautifully written memoir, George Takei’s It Rhymes With Takei is a triumph—a deeply moving, gorgeously illustrated biographical piece that blends personal revelation with a sweeping journey through LGBTQ+ history. Following the critical success of They Called Us Enemy, Takei bares his soul with trademark wit, wisdom, and unflinching honesty, chronicling his life in the closet, his late-in-life coming out, and the profound liberation of living his truth. From the outset, Takei’s voice crackles with charisma, guiding readers through the complexities of growing up gay in mid-century America—a time when conformity was survival, and queerness was criminalized. The memoir traces his early crushes, furtive encounters, and the exhausting double life of a public figure terrified of exposure. As his star rose with Star Trek, so did the stakes of staying hidden, and Takei doesn’t shy from depicting the loneliness and fear that shadowed his fame. What makes It Rhymes With Takei so powerful is its balance of gravity and grace. Takei’s humour sparkles even in dark moments. His decision to come out at 68 is framed not as an endpoint but a new beginning.

Such a wonderful book!
he writing and illustrations depicting the AIDS crisis made me unbelievably emotional. As did the juxtaposition of Takei’s brother cutting him off next to a depiction of them as children together in a concentration camp.
Although the current political climate is not as optimistic as it was at the end of this book, Takei reminds us in the final pages that we do not face it alone.
Takei was witness and participant to so munch history. It was incredible to hear his perspective, hopes, and fears through it all.

I identify with George Takei as I was also scared to come out; I didn’t do so until I was 49. However, being English, I didn’t have to suffer internment and alienation because of my ethnicity.

I found George’s story compelling and easy to read as a graphic novel. Not participating in the fight for gay rights while he was in the closet was obviously a struggle for him, which he is now clearly making up for. The book delivers a positive story arc of redemption, including a happy ever after in terms of George’s marriage to Brad.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

What can I say about George Takei? On top of his many talents and professions in life should be storyteller. He has yet again excelled into turning his personal story into one everyone would benefit from reading.

I found “They Called Us Enemy” a captivating book and “It Rhymes With Takei” is no different. It explores George’s life from his childhood realization of his orientation to the current day illustrated by the difficulties he faced being closeted while leading a very public life as an actor, political advocate and activist until he decided to publicly come out and embrace his full self at age 68.

It is an absolutely worthwhile read written by one of the better humans on this Earth.

My gratitude to NetGalley, IDW Publishing and Top Shelf Productions for the opportunity to read and review.

Thank you immensely to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the advanced reader copy of this book!!

I (lately) really enjoy reading/listening to nonfiction books that are autobiographical in nature like this one. Just to see someone’s journey throughout their lives (in their own perspective) is a privilege! George Takei has faced many different forms of adversity in his lifetime, but none of this ever stopped him from giving back to the people and community around him — in whatever capacity he was able to give. A true activist for his beliefs and morality!
Anyone would benefit from gaining insight into this graphic novel. Truly heartwarming to learn more about George Takei, his family, his husband, and those throughout his life that have left their marks along the way.

Cannot wait to see this on the shelves in bookstores come June! <3

What a wonderful story of a fascinating life. While I did find the graphic novel to be way more "novel" than graphic (it's super, SUPER wordy), it was great to hear a truly 360 degree view of one man's life who lived through a pretty extraordinary few decades in terms of civil rights. I think young adults would be really interested in this book and get a lot out of it.

Whew, okay. That was quite a ride.

Mostly, I loved how in-depth this was, and how much ground it covered. From summarizing eras and issues of recent US history, to exploring George Takei's feelings at the time, I was transported. And I think a GN was a great way to tell this story!

I have some critical responses to some of the messaging at the end. While I think it's supposed to be uplifting and hopeful, too me it came across as oversimplified and places too much reliance on a flawed, crumbling political system. Of course, this must have been created months ago, so I can't reasonably expect this to be responding to this exact political moment, but there's so much emphasis on relying on systems to save us. Look where we are.

On the other hand, works like this remind me that my generation isn't the only one living through crisis after crisis, often brought on by the same cycles of bigotry and hatred that Takei's memoir explores. Takei has lived through every "unprecedented time" that I've lived through, plus the AIDS epidemic, the McCarthy era witch hunts, Order 9066, and so on. What the h-e-double-hockey-sticks does a "predicented time" look like??

So, while the epilogue feels a little tacked-on and disingenuously upbeat, this book also serves as a reminder that the constant shifts in political and social perception of people and issues is neither static nor linear.

Anyway, I've been a huge George Takei fan for some time, and his creative responses to social issues and top-notch use of the internet for anti-hate meme purposes cemented my respect for him years ago. There was a lot I didn't know about his political career and personal life, and I enjoyed learning more. The pacing and art were both great, though it seems like there was a struggle to determine an end-point, in part because it tries to cover his whole life and... he's still alive, writing this book. Which is a pretty great book, reminiscent of the "March" series in terms of its scope and subject. Fifty bucks says people will immediately try to ban this book, because some of y'all are desperate to drag social progress back by a century or more.

Also it's a real bummer about his brother. Imagine being as awesome and active in social justice as Takei and losing the love and respect of a family member because of their commitment to homophobia won out over their commitment to love.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. As a side note, this book doesn't cover Takei's childhood in the internment camps, so this book especially functions as a companion to "They Called Us Enemy," which is also excellent.

A really great memoir. Takei’s previous visual memoir was fantastic and this was no different, as well as incredibly relevant. It not only covers his career as an actor but also as an activist and his journey as a gay man in America. It’s truly worth the read, I think I love him even more.

Such an important story to tell.

George Takei tells the story of his journey being gay in the US and in Hollywood. He was sure that coming out would not only hurt his career but alienate him from the world and the people he loved.

Highly recommend this.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available. This book will be published on the 10th of June 2025.

Where They Called Us Enemy explores George Takei's relationship with his Japanese-American identity, It Rhymes with Takei addresses a part of his identity he felt pressure to hide as a gay man. Takei's reflecting approach is refreshing; he does express regret for hiding a major piece of his identity for so long, yet contextualizes this to explain without making excuses. His trademark good sense of humor is very much on display as well. I learned a great deal about Takei's life and dedication to social justice causes, including LGBTQ+ rights. I appreciated the emotional authenticity present, the reflection on history and personal identity, and a vision of hope for the future.

Beautiful art and well written, yay!

If you’re going to read this book you probably already know who George Takei is. This story focuses on how he lived his life in the closet both before and after success as an actor. It does touch on the other aspects of his life like his relationships with his family and friends, growing up in the internment camp, etc.

I’m sure this one will be banned in the places that ban books these days but it would be a good book for teens and adults who don’t have a problem with acknowledging that LGBTQIA+ folks exist.