Enemy Alien

An illustrated story of struggle and resistance in one of Canada’s World War I internment camps

Enemy Alien tells the story of Canada’s first national internment operations through the eyes of John Boychuk, a Ukrainian internee held in Kapuskasing from 1914 to 1917. Based closely on John Boychuk’s memoir—the only comprehensive internee testimony in existence—Enemy Alien follows Boychuk from his arrest in Toronto through his more than three years in a northern work camp.

This beautifully illustrated graphic history details the everyday struggle of the internees in the camp, including forced labour and exploitation, abuse from guards, malnutrition, and homesickness. It documents moments of internee resistance, such as work stoppages, hunger strikes, escape attempts, and riots. For Boychuk, this experience only reinforced a commitment to radical politics.