This nonfiction account gives the true depiction of the mistreatment of the Japanese Americans living in the United States during WWII. Similar to Warriors Don’t Cry, this book offers a glimpse into American history, making it a good read for both an English and history class. I feel a common misconception that could be held by students in middle school is that America’s history with racial discrimination is only black and white. This book proves otherwise, giving a look at the shameful past of Americans confining and controlling fellow American citizens.
Summary courtesy of http://www.edb.utexas.edu/resources/booksR4teens/book_reviews/book_reviews.php?book_id=32
This memoir, based on Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston's experience, explores her trials of living in a Japanese internment camp. The young girl tries to make the best of the situation but sees the pain and suffering that her parents must experience in order to survive. Her father was taken away for a year before he is returned to his family. He does not discuss what happened to him, and he begins to drink to try to forget. After they are freed and permitted to go home, she explains the prejudice she experiences while trying to readjust to life in an American high school. While getting involved in school, she abandons her Japanese heritage, a decision she later regrets making.
Houston, James D. and Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston. (1995). Farewell to Manzanar. Fernie: Laurel Leat. 177 pp. ISBN: 0-913-37404-0.
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