Even after over 50 years, World War II internment camps are still a touchy subject to many people. The horrors that the Americans inflicted on innocent Japanese people are, although considered by many a good idea at the time, now but a memory of one of the dark ages of America.
One of these terrible internment camps is the subject of Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston's novel, Farewell to Manzanar. Manzanar was a scary place for the Japanese forced to leave their homes and move there, but the Houstons' effort, although being an American classic, does come across as a little bland. From 1942 to 1945, the Japanese living in Manzanar were in terrible conditions. It seems like the Houstons should be able to make the novel a bit more dramatic.
The main characters are the Wakatsukis, a family of Japanese-Americans. Jeanne Wakatsuki, co-author of the book, is the youngest. When Pearl Harbor was bombed, no one had any idea what had happened. All they knew was that about four months later, they had to go to Manzanar, an internment camp in California. One of the best scenes in the novel occurs before they leave, when Mama is trying to sell everything she owned. A dealer tries to buy many expensive china articles for a paltry sum. Mama gets each article and throws them down, one by one, to shatter on the hard ground. The dealer, after trying to coax Mama out of her actions, just walks away.
The Wakatsukis arrive at the camp. The living arrangements are fit for animals. The bathrooms are filthy, with no dividers. Sand enters their shack through knotholes in the wall. Although the Japanese establish cultural activities (Jeanne was for a while a member of a Japanese dance class, taught by an old geisha) and the Americans that run the camp try to make it seem as much like home as possible (Japanese food is served daily), Manzanar is portrayed a terrible place.
Here is where the trouble sets in. When the war ends, Congress issues an order to send every Japanese person in an internment camp back to their home. But even though the Wakatsukis and every other person hated Manzanar while they stayed there, they do not want to leave and procrastinate as much as they can before they finally decide to go home. This just did not make enough sense to me. They should be relieved that they can go back to their old way of living.
Farewell to Manzanar described a terrible time in American history through the eyes of a little girl. It is not a complete failure of a book. It just does not live up to its legendary name.
http://www.amazon.com/Farewell-Manzanar-Japanese-Experience-Internment/dp/0553272586/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235699573&sr=8-1
Grade: 6.5
One of these terrible internment camps is the subject of Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston's novel, Farewell to Manzanar. Manzanar was a scary place for the Japanese forced to leave their homes and move there, but the Houstons' effort, although being an American classic, does come across as a little bland. From 1942 to 1945, the Japanese living in Manzanar were in terrible conditions. It seems like the Houstons should be able to make the novel a bit more dramatic.
The main characters are the Wakatsukis, a family of Japanese-Americans. Jeanne Wakatsuki, co-author of the book, is the youngest. When Pearl Harbor was bombed, no one had any idea what had happened. All they knew was that about four months later, they had to go to Manzanar, an internment camp in California. One of the best scenes in the novel occurs before they leave, when Mama is trying to sell everything she owned. A dealer tries to buy many expensive china articles for a paltry sum. Mama gets each article and throws them down, one by one, to shatter on the hard ground. The dealer, after trying to coax Mama out of her actions, just walks away.
The Wakatsukis arrive at the camp. The living arrangements are fit for animals. The bathrooms are filthy, with no dividers. Sand enters their shack through knotholes in the wall. Although the Japanese establish cultural activities (Jeanne was for a while a member of a Japanese dance class, taught by an old geisha) and the Americans that run the camp try to make it seem as much like home as possible (Japanese food is served daily), Manzanar is portrayed a terrible place.
Here is where the trouble sets in. When the war ends, Congress issues an order to send every Japanese person in an internment camp back to their home. But even though the Wakatsukis and every other person hated Manzanar while they stayed there, they do not want to leave and procrastinate as much as they can before they finally decide to go home. This just did not make enough sense to me. They should be relieved that they can go back to their old way of living.
Farewell to Manzanar described a terrible time in American history through the eyes of a little girl. It is not a complete failure of a book. It just does not live up to its legendary name.
http://www.amazon.com/Farewell-Manzanar-Japanese-Experience-Internment/dp/0553272586/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235699573&sr=8-1
Grade: 6.5
