Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Children's Books, History, Teen & Young Adult
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Children's Books, History, Teen & Young Adult
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
One of the many atrocities committed by the U.S. Government was the forced relocation and incarceration in camps in the interior of the country of between 110,000 and 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry who lived on the Pacific coast. Sixty-two percent of the internees were United States citizens. These actions were ordered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt shortly after Imperial Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Many consider the internment to have resulted more from racism than from any security risk posed by Japanese Americans. Hopefully, this will never happen in our country again but the current atmosphere regarding Muslims and terrorism may prove that things haven't changed.
Farewell to Manzanar tells the story of the Wakatsuki family before, during, and after their forced internment at Manzanar located in Owens Valley at the foot of the Sierra mountains in California. The story is narrated by Jeanne, the youngest Wakatsuki member who at age 7 was moved along with her family from their life in San Pedro California where her father, Ko, was a successful fisherman. Ko was arrested as a collaborator and sent to a camp in North Dakota while the rest of the family was sent to Manzanar. They could only take what they could carry and many possessions had to be left behind. Rather than sell her expensive china set to a salesman at a ridiculously low price because she has no choice, Jeanne's mother smashes her dishes onto the floor in front of him...one of the best scenes in the story!
Jeanne tells how her life really began at Manzanar which left her self-conscious about her race and identity for the rest of her life. The book details the poor conditions they faced when they arrived and how they eventually made Manzanar their home. At the end, they were reluctant to leave because of the fear of being outcasts in post-war society. Overall, a very effective and touching memoir that I would recommend.
Farewell to Manzanar tells the story of the Wakatsuki family before, during, and after their forced internment at Manzanar located in Owens Valley at the foot of the Sierra mountains in California. The story is narrated by Jeanne, the youngest Wakatsuki member who at age 7 was moved along with her family from their life in San Pedro California where her father, Ko, was a successful fisherman. Ko was arrested as a collaborator and sent to a camp in North Dakota while the rest of the family was sent to Manzanar. They could only take what they could carry and many possessions had to be left behind. Rather than sell her expensive china set to a salesman at a ridiculously low price because she has no choice, Jeanne's mother smashes her dishes onto the floor in front of him...one of the best scenes in the story!
Jeanne tells how her life really began at Manzanar which left her self-conscious about her race and identity for the rest of her life. The book details the poor conditions they faced when they arrived and how they eventually made Manzanar their home. At the end, they were reluctant to leave because of the fear of being outcasts in post-war society. Overall, a very effective and touching memoir that I would recommend.
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