Farewell to Manzanar

Jeanne Wakatsuki and James D. Houston

Farewell to Manzanar, by Jeanne Wakatsuki and James D. Houston, is about Jeanne Wakatsuki at seven years old in 1942 when her family was uprooted from their home and was sent to live at Manzanar internment camp. She lived with 10,000 other Japanese Americans. Along with searchlight towers and armed guards, Manzanar ludicrously featured cheerleaders, Boy Scouts, sock hops, baton twirling lessons and a dance band called the Jive Bombers who would play any popular song except the nation's #1 hit: "Don't Fence Me In."

Farewell to Manzanar is the true story of one spirited Japanese-American family's attempt to survive the indignities of forced detention. It’s also the story of a native-born American child who discovered what it was like to grow up behind barbed wire in the United States. This book did give a lot of facts from history. I also liked the fact the author explained a lot of the laws surrounding the internment camps. This story also goes into how Jeanne's life was affected after leaving the camp which was very interesting. I read this book over the summer for a school requirement and although it wasn’t amazing, I don’t regret reading this story. I personally, found this plot a little confusing, but that is most likely due to the fact that I don’t know much about this subject. I did learn about what people went through during those times, but sometimes, it was a struggle for me to continue reading. It’s not that I hated it, but simply that it wasn’t really my cup of tea. I’m sure that if I came back to this book in maybe 2-3 years, I think I will like this book a lot more. None the less, give this book a try.

Grade Level:

- Suggested: 7th+

- Advanced: 6th

- Genre: Non-fiction

- Key Elements: Internment camp, war

- Possible Themes: Things get better

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Happy Reading!

-The Book Lover-

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