Parents' Guide to

Farewell to Manzanar

By Barbara Schultz, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Fascinating memoir portrays childhood during internment.

Book Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, James D. Houston Autobiography 2021
Farewell to Manzanar Poster Image

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What's the Story?

In FAREWELL TO MANZANAR, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston describes her family's internment in a concentration camp in Owens Valley, California. During World War II, the United States government imprisoned American families of Japanese descent due to fears that those individuals would feel more loyalty to Japan than to the U.S., and would assist the Japanese military. When Jeanne was 8 years old, her father was arrested on suspicion of using his fishing boat to spy for the enemy. Then, Jeanne's family were forced to leave their home and were transported to the Manzanar camp. Jeanne describes the stark, cramped conditions of the camp, where the family was eventually reunited with her father, Ko. Some aspects of life in the camp are strangely normal, largely because children are children, wherever they go: They go to school, make friends (and enemies), listen to pop music, etc. But given the demoralizing effect of camp life on the adults, the threat of violence from security police, and the strangely homogenous accommodations, nothing actually is normal. Ko makes homemade sake and brandy and is drunk much of the time. Inmates riot and several are shot. Meanwhile, outside, World War II is raging and, strangely, young men within Manzanar are pressured to enlist. Finally the war ends and families are free to go, but leaving poses new challenges. Jeanne's family has no home and little money, and they fear the racism they know they'll encounter outside the confines of Manzanar. They settle in a low-income development in Long Beac, and Jeanne weathers public school, uncomfortably straddling a line between wanting to fit in and never trusting that she does. In the end, when she's grown and married with children of her own, Jeanne travels back to Manzanar, evoking memories of that time and finally giving her a better sense of closing the book on that part of her life.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston reveals the tragic story of the United States' crime against Japanese Americans within her own coming-of-age story. This book continues to resonate with young readers due to her personal details as well as historical ones. For example, it's equally important that Jeanne relates her memories of her father's arrest as it is that she shares a memory of some girls who were mean to her in dance class. The fact that she is a little girl like any other little girl means that readers relate to her experience, and care deeply about her story. This is an honest, detailed, personal account of a disgraceful chapter in the United States' history, told in a relatable way that young readers can digest and appreciate.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the imprisonment of American citizens of Japanese descent in Farewell to Manzanar. Does this book explain how and why this happened? Why do you think it happened?

  • What was different about life inside Manzanar from life outside? What aspects of life seem the same?

  • Why was Jeanne fearful about leaving Manzanar? Why do you think she returns?

Book Details

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