Customer Reviews:
 This part of American history has been swept under the rug. July 24, 2008
Farewell to Manzanar is the autobiography of Jeanne Wakatsuki, who was seven years old in 1942, when the U.S. government forced Japanese-American families from their homes, and relocated them to internment camps. She tells the story of life at the Manzanar camp, as well as her family's difficulty in resuming a normal life after the camp closed, including her personal struggle to fit in with white kids at school.
Just prior to the internment, Jeanne's father was arrested in Los Angeles County and taken to North Dakota. He was a fisherman, and they charged him with delivering oil to Japanese submarines. During interrogation, he explained that the 50-gallon drums on his boat contained bait, not oil. His interrogator asked, "Who do you want to win this war?" He answered, "When your mother and your father are having a fight, do you want them to kill each other? Or do you want them to stop fighting?"
One amusing part of the story is about how the camp residents entertained themselves. "He didn't sing Don't Fence Me In out of protest... It just happened to be a hit song."
Woven into the story are historically significant facts. Ironically, while being held captive as a threat to the country, second-generation Japanese-American men were drafted into the Army. Many accepted the call, and others even volunteered prior to being drafted. However, some fought in court, and a judge in San Francisco ruled in their favor. In a separate case, the Supreme Court ruled in December of 1944 that the government cannot detain loyal citizens against their will. Within the next year, the camps were closed.
This part of American history has been swept under the rug. 110,000 Japanese-Americans were relocated to 10 inland camps. Wakatsuki documents her experience in the form of a relatable, human story.
Never forget July 20, 2008
Farewell to Manzanar is not a book I will ever forget. Although many years have passed since I first read this book, the story of the Japanese-American families sent to an internment camp still resonates. It's a beautifully written memoir of an egregious wrong.
Great Buy! May 26, 2008
Wow! This is everything I thought it would be and much more! Everything I could think of for my students is in this, plus things I didn't even think would be in it! Thank you!
 Good bye to Manzanar January 21, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is easy to read. The subject matter is disturbing because of the treatment of the people.
The ink used by the former owner of the book is sometimes an interruption of thought.
Farewell to Manzanar January 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is required reading for my daughters freshman high school English course. Amazon didnt carry the 'cliffnotes' yet I found another seller through Amazon; of course, then the books were shipped separately.
Excellent topic considering our local Japanese-American history during WWII.
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