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Farewell to Manzanar
Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston Book Review

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Plot Summary of Farewell to Manzanar
"During WWII, tens of thousands of Japanese-Americans were ordered to move to internment camps around the country, bringing with them only what they could carry. Farewell to Manzanar is the story of one of those camps, told by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston through the eyes of the child she was at that time. The book's strength is in the details - the living arrangements, the activities, the mess hall - and in the human stories that took place in Manzanar. Jeanne talks about the effects internment had on her family, including her father, who was imprisoned at a separate, harsher camp for much of the war. Houston also discusses the events that led up to the internment order, including the attitudes of the American people, and her experiences immediately after her family was released. This is one of the most simple and most moving testimonials about the Japanese-American internment camps. "
Ivy, Resident Scholar

"This book is about a young girl and her childhood views of the internment camp that she and her family were sent to during world war two. At about the age of seven Jeanne joined about 10,000 other people at Manzanar. All of which were Japanese-Americans who the government felt were a threat to America. Even worse her father and many other Issie men were taken to Fort Lincoln, ND, and most didn't return until at least a year later. The story is about her struggles, her up's and down's with family and making friends. "
Jennifer, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Farewell to Manzanar
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Ethnic/Relig. of subject (inside) - Japanese
If this is a culture clash: - minority culture living in majority area
Ethnic/regional/gender Yes
Which institution - prison camp
ethnic of society (outside) - American (general)
Life in an institution Yes
Period of greatest activity? - 1900+

Subject of Biography
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - student
Age: - a kid
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Ethnicity - Japanese
Nationality - American (!)
How sensitive is this person? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other people
Physique - average physique

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 4 ()
United States Yes
The US: - California
Desert? Yes
Misc setting - prison
Century: - 1930's-1950's

Style
Person - mostly 3rd - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Book makes you feel? - encouraged - thoughtful
Commentary on society? Yes
Commentary on - race - decency - war - justice system
Unusual Style: - a lot of stream of consciousness
Writer's slant towards subject: - neutral
Story of entire life, or part? - story of set of events during life
Autobiography? Yes
Pictures/Illustrations? - None
How much dialogue in bio? - significantly more descript than dialog
How much is philosophy rather than life story? - 0-25% of book
Most similar books to Farewell to Manzanar
Made in Japan and Settled in Oregon by Mitzi Loftus
Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan by Herbert Bix
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Geronimo: His Own Story by Geronimo
Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights by Tananarive Due


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