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.

As an out and proud gay man who survived Japanese interment and made a career inspiring others it's great to see George Takei's life story told in a fun, engaging way. I hope young people have access to this graphic novel to learn what he overcame and how civil rights in America were so hard fought and not to be taken for granted.

I very much enjoyed the second graphic memoir from George Takei. This one feels more disjointed because of the larger time span covered. There are multiple celebrities and people introduced that don't have meaning past a single page that could have been edited down to allow for a more concise book.

This was great. I loved how honest and vulnerable Takei was in the story. Even though I am not gay, I empathize with being different and how people treated you differently (though my experiences are nothing compared to his). I learned a lot that I didn't know about his political activism. And I now this book will help a lot people.
The art is great. I recognize all those drawn and colored. Takei has an amazing team working with him.

Being able to look into the life story of a great American author and activist was a great pleasure. Takei's humility and introspective take on how he navigated struggles in his life is very hopeful and uplifting. I imagine younger readers being able to relate to him as he begins with his experiences with his family and school, seeing similarities as he figures out who he is going to be and how he will get there. Older readers can revisit the times in their lives as Takei grew as an actor and an activist.

This book feels very timely given everything that is happening in America right now. It's scary out there, and it's very easy to be discouraged, but Mr. Takei speaks openly from his experiences as someone who was a child in the Japanese American concentration camps during WWII, who lived the first 68 years of his life in the closet, and as an activist who has fought for so many human rights causes throughout his life. His story is one of hope, and one that, though dark at times, should serve as inspiration to young people today who haven't yet lived through times of great hardship and don't know what to do in the face of such uncertainties. I'm incredibly grateful to have seen this book listed on NetGalley when I did, and I'm also grateful to Mr. Takei for writing it. LLAP

The narrative content isn't much new ground for anyone who follows George Takei online or has seen him speak in recent years, but the way it is assembled here is inspiring. After "They Called Us Enemy" shared the story of his family's internment during WW2, here Takei picks up with vognetters from his youth and young adulthood through to the present.

The artwork is quite literal most of the time, which makes the symbolic sections even more evocative by contrast. The highs and lows of the story come to life in a way that's so much more than two-dimensional drawings should allow for.

Let's get real. Anything by or about George Takei is well worth reading!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I'm so glad to see it going out in the world!

I enjoyed getting to know George Takei through the medium of a graphic novel. Text and pictures relay his life from his childhood through his adult career and personal life. I felt the dialogue bubbles were wordy and the pacing a bit slow.

I enjoyed reading the historical moments that intersected with and affected his life. The art was nothing special although I could see distinct resemblance in the faces of the drawings of famous people.

This probably will only interest readers who were fans of Star Trek, particularly the character of Hakaru Sulu.

"It Rhymes with Takei" is the newest biographical graphic novel from George Takei, Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger (the same team from his previous graphic novel "They Called Us Enemy"). Takei recounts his life history, this time through the lens of being gay and closeted. Lots of difficult parts, but overall hopeful. A very interesting and needed story today. A must buy for graphic novel collections.

People need this story more than ever as we continue a battle for basic human rights. thank you for putting your life, the real life, on the page for us to always see the battle that came before.
I loved being an ARC reader.

Sadly had to dnf it. had a hard time reading it as the text was blurry in "NetGalley reader" When my phone gets fixed im hoping to revisit it

George Takei has spent far too many years behind a fence, sometimes the barbed wire was because of his race and as other times it was because of his sexuality. This impressive graphic novel tells his story, which has such a broad appeal due to the format of the tale as well as his reputation as an actor and activist. There is always work to do and, with the rise of various groups stomping on the rights of others, this message sadly needs to be continuously spread. It Rhymes with Takei teaches leaders of the future the way of doing the right thing. Takei and everyone in this world truly does deserve to be themselves.

It Rhymes with Takei is a hopeful and heartwarming graphic memoir. For me, a highlight was hearing how Takei and his husband met and fell in love. I found the more personal insights to be the most moving for me, however, there is a staggering breadth of time and social change covered here. Seeing both the world's attitudes, and Takei's relationship with himself, evolve was interestingl. As with They Called Us Enemy, I really liked the artwork - it is clear and simple, yet emotive. Keeping the same team for this book makes the two works feel cohesive.
Although some sentiments were tricky to negotiate at the current time (a lot can change in four months, and I feel this was initially written longer ago than that), the wide scope of this graphic memoir provides valuable insight - and is an engaging read.