Virginia and John H. (holtzy) -
Helpful Score: 5
A true account of Japanese internment in the United States after the Pearl Harbor bombing of WWII. This is a piece of history which we know so little about and is often forgotten. A beautifully written and very touching account of life behind barbed wire in the California dessert. Highly recommend this book as a glimpse into our history.
Katy -
Helpful Score: 3
This is a book everyone should read at least once in their lives. The Japanese Internment experience is one that should not be forgotten, and this memoir does a great job of illustrating what it was like.
Katie R. (katiereadsbooks) reviewed Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment on + 6 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A personal memoir about a part of history that many of us don't know.
Michelle P. (SouthernChelz) reviewed Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment on + 216 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I liked it and my children like it. It is a great book to read with your children on one of the internment camps during wwII in America. The first person account is wonderful. I don't know why so many kids thought it was boring. No, there are no bombs going off, a lot of gun shooting, or killing with blood and guts but it is still a great book.
Tammy S. (zzzangel) -
Helpful Score: 1
excellent story about life in an internment camp.
Lee Smith - , reviewed Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment on + 160 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
As haunting as the diary of Anne Frank.
Emily L. reviewed Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment on + 26 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This is filled with fascinating information and human compassion! Well written!
Jennifer V. (jenvince) reviewed Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment on + 136 more book reviews
This was a very interesting read.
Bob M. (Hissy-Fitz) -
Nicely written first-person account of the Japanese interment camps during WWII.
Sue K. (Bossmare) reviewed Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment on + 306 more book reviews
I enjoyed this book alot and the movie was good too. In Wyoming where I live was a camp, Heart Mountain. I always think of that when I think of WWII. Good story.
Vicki D. reviewed Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment on
Very interesting to gain some knowledge on a period I knew nothing about. At times funny and at times very sad. Jeanne was very honest is sharing her memories of this very sad time in our country.
Michelle M. (mpm) -
This is a fabulous book. It was very visual and a great primary source for research on the internment camps during WWII.
If you love history, you will enjoy this book.
If you love history, you will enjoy this book.
Tim S. (TWS) reviewed Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment on + 2 more book reviews
WORST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ!!!!!
Mallory S. (missmal) reviewed Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment on + 4 more book reviews
Quick, easy, interesting, and educational read. I read this for a history class, but actually ended up getting ahead because I enjoyed it so much!
Jennifer W. (GeniusJen) reviewed Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment on + 5322 more book reviews
Reviewed by Taylor Rector for TeensReadToo.com
FAREWELL TO MANZANAR is the chilling autobiography of a Japanese-American girl who survived the interment camps during World War II.
When I began reading this book I had no idea what the "internment" camps were. This is a subject that not many know about and is not a very well-known time in history. "Internment" camps were camps that the American government put together after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor to house all of the Japanese-Americans who lived on the west coast. The people were forced to go and didn't have a choice, even if they were born in America and only had Japanese ancestry. The camps were in the middle of the desert, so that the people wouldn't be able to leave.
At first I didn't like the book very much. But as I kept reading I began to like it. I can't say that I loved it, because I didn't; it's not a "loving" type of story. I enjoyed learning about something that I knew nothing about.
I think all Americans should read this book so that they know that this happened. It is not something that is often talked about, but it should be, so that every American citizen knows about this part that the government played in World War II.
FAREWELL TO MANZANAR is the chilling autobiography of a Japanese-American girl who survived the interment camps during World War II.
When I began reading this book I had no idea what the "internment" camps were. This is a subject that not many know about and is not a very well-known time in history. "Internment" camps were camps that the American government put together after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor to house all of the Japanese-Americans who lived on the west coast. The people were forced to go and didn't have a choice, even if they were born in America and only had Japanese ancestry. The camps were in the middle of the desert, so that the people wouldn't be able to leave.
At first I didn't like the book very much. But as I kept reading I began to like it. I can't say that I loved it, because I didn't; it's not a "loving" type of story. I enjoyed learning about something that I knew nothing about.
I think all Americans should read this book so that they know that this happened. It is not something that is often talked about, but it should be, so that every American citizen knows about this part that the government played in World War II.
Jennifer O. reviewed Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment on + 29 more book reviews
Great book to learn a few things while you enjoy a journey of your own while reading this book.
Mary S. (mscottcgp) -
Been wanting to read this book for awhile, and I wasn't disappointed. While it is a quick read, you really feel for the author as she relates the story of her childhood during her internment with her family in Manzanar.
Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment on + 1229 more book reviews
One of the many atrocities committed by the U.S. Government was the forced relocation and incarceration in camps in the interior of the country of between 110,000 and 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry who lived on the Pacific coast. Sixty-two percent of the internees were United States citizens. These actions were ordered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt shortly after Imperial Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Many consider the internment to have resulted more from racism than from any security risk posed by Japanese Americans. Hopefully, this will never happen in our country again but the current atmosphere regarding Muslims and terrorism may prove that things haven't changed.
Farewell to Manzanar tells the story of the Wakatsuki family before, during, and after their forced internment at Manzanar located in Owens Valley at the foot of the Sierra mountains in California. The story is narrated by Jeanne, the youngest Wakatsuki member who at age 7 was moved along with her family from their life in San Pedro California where her father, Ko, was a successful fisherman. Ko was arrested as a collaborator and sent to a camp in North Dakota while the rest of the family was sent to Manzanar. They could only take what they could carry and many possessions had to be left behind. Rather than sell her expensive china set to a salesman at a ridiculously low price because she has no choice, Jeanne's mother smashes her dishes onto the floor in front of him...one of the best scenes in the story!
Jeanne tells how her life really began at Manzanar which left her self-conscious about her race and identity for the rest of her life. The book details the poor conditions they faced when they arrived and how they eventually made Manzanar their home. At the end, they were reluctant to leave because of the fear of being outcasts in post-war society. Overall, a very effective and touching memoir that I would recommend.
Farewell to Manzanar tells the story of the Wakatsuki family before, during, and after their forced internment at Manzanar located in Owens Valley at the foot of the Sierra mountains in California. The story is narrated by Jeanne, the youngest Wakatsuki member who at age 7 was moved along with her family from their life in San Pedro California where her father, Ko, was a successful fisherman. Ko was arrested as a collaborator and sent to a camp in North Dakota while the rest of the family was sent to Manzanar. They could only take what they could carry and many possessions had to be left behind. Rather than sell her expensive china set to a salesman at a ridiculously low price because she has no choice, Jeanne's mother smashes her dishes onto the floor in front of him...one of the best scenes in the story!
Jeanne tells how her life really began at Manzanar which left her self-conscious about her race and identity for the rest of her life. The book details the poor conditions they faced when they arrived and how they eventually made Manzanar their home. At the end, they were reluctant to leave because of the fear of being outcasts in post-war society. Overall, a very effective and touching memoir that I would recommend.
Susan E. reviewed Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment on + 3 more book reviews
Fell asleep several times during this read.
