Farewell to Manzanar

By: Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, James D. Houston

Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda

The powerful true story of life in a Japanese American internment camp.

During World War II the community called Manzanar was hastily created in the high mountain desert country of California, east of the Sierras. Its purpose was to house thousands of Japanese American internees.

One of the first families to arrive was the Wakatsukis, who were ordered to leave their fishing business in Long Beach and take with them only the belongings they could carry. For Jeanne Wakatsuki, a seven-year-old child, Manzanar became a way of life in which she struggled and adapted, observed and grew. For her father it was essentially the end of his life.

In Farewell to Manzanar, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston recalls life at Manzanar through the eyes of the child she was. She tells of her fear, confusion, and bewilderment as well as the dignity and great resourcefulness of people in oppressive and demeaning circumstances. Jeanne delivers a powerful first-person account that reveals her search for the meaning of Manzanar.

Farewell to Manzanar has become a staple of curriculum in schools and on campuses across the country. Named one of the twentieth century’s 100 best nonfiction books from west of the Rockies by the San Francisco Chronicle.

AMAZING

I liked everything it made everything chang my perspective of life and everything else I see

I could not believe this happened

This is one of the best written stories I have ever heard.
very heartwarming
highly suggest this book

Amazing

Amazing book, very educational and interesting. I recommend this book if you want to learn more on what happens to the Japanese-Americans in the camps

Must read for all.

A must read for our students but also for their parents, I recommend the rereading of this book as I did next to my child so that I could support them.
Thank you for writing this.

Excellent story!

We’ve visited the museum at Manzanar. This story really puts life into the camp at Manzanar. Now we want to return to Lone Pine and Manzanar. Thank you!