Too often, people do not like to look back on the dark side of what happened in American history, whether it be out of shame, ignorance, or pure boredom. However, Jeanne Wakatuski’s account of what happened behind the fences of Camp Manzanar as a Japanese American girl, as well as the events leading up to her internment, is a page turner. It took Jeanne 25 years to finally be able to talk about Manzanar (x). When she finally decided to write Farewell to Manzanar in 1971, Jeanne W. Houston had simply sat down with her husband and a “tape recorder and an old 1944 yearbook put together at Manzanar High School,” (ix). Though Jeanne’s husband, James D. Houston is the co-author for the book, Jeanne receives most of the recognition for the book’s
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The injustices done to the Japanese American community was their internment because of their physical appearance and heritage. Jeanne specifically struggled with her identity as a born American citizen with a Japanese face. Her desire to fit in and be a true American contradicted with her resentful feelings resulting from her mistreatment. Though she never wanted to “change [her] face,” she wanted “the kind of acceptance that seemed to come so easily to Radine,” (171). The theme of survival is a constant presence throughout the book. Jeanne and her family were forced to learn how to survive in close quarters, cope with racism and prejudice, and watch their father slowly lose his sanity. Their living space is described as a “cubicle” on page 23, and they even had to endure using latrines that had no doors for privacy (31-32). “One of the amazing things about America is the way it can both undermine you and keep you believing in your own possibilities, pumping you with hope,” (154). This is one of the prime examples of the effects of the racism and prejudice that Jeanne and her family had to suffer through. Jeanne mentions her father getting “blind[ly] drunk” on page 65 and then a heated and threatening argument between him and her mother on page 68 where she writes that he screamed of killing her (Mama). Jeanne expressed her distaste for her …show more content…
Even those who do not generally enjoy history, or even reading in general, would gain an appreciation for the book and Jeanne’s efforts to put her memories to paper. Though the book has not received an award, it has been “broadly embraced as a poignant account of a Japanese American's WWII experiences,” (Wakida). To fully appreciate Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne W. Houston and James D. Houston, readers should learn to change their state of mind to a Manzanar Mentality, just as Jeanne stated she had on page 195, the last chapter of her
The injustices done to the Japanese American community was their internment because of their physical appearance and heritage. Jeanne specifically struggled with her identity as a born American citizen with a Japanese face. Her desire to fit in and be a true American contradicted with her resentful feelings resulting from her mistreatment. Though she never wanted to “change [her] face,” she wanted “the kind of acceptance that seemed to come so easily to Radine,” (171). The theme of survival is a constant presence throughout the book. Jeanne and her family were forced to learn how to survive in close quarters, cope with racism and prejudice, and watch their father slowly lose his sanity. Their living space is described as a “cubicle” on page 23, and they even had to endure using latrines that had no doors for privacy (31-32). “One of the amazing things about America is the way it can both undermine you and keep you believing in your own possibilities, pumping you with hope,” (154). This is one of the prime examples of the effects of the racism and prejudice that Jeanne and her family had to suffer through. Jeanne mentions her father getting “blind[ly] drunk” on page 65 and then a heated and threatening argument between him and her mother on page 68 where she writes that he screamed of killing her (Mama). Jeanne expressed her distaste for her …show more content…
Even those who do not generally enjoy history, or even reading in general, would gain an appreciation for the book and Jeanne’s efforts to put her memories to paper. Though the book has not received an award, it has been “broadly embraced as a poignant account of a Japanese American's WWII experiences,” (Wakida). To fully appreciate Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne W. Houston and James D. Houston, readers should learn to change their state of mind to a Manzanar Mentality, just as Jeanne stated she had on page 195, the last chapter of her