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42 pages 1 hour read

Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston

Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment

Jeanne Wakatsuki HoustonNonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1973

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Book Brief

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Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston

Farewell to Manzanar

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1973
Book Details
Pages

208

Format

Autobiography / Memoir • Nonfiction

Setting

Manzanar Internment Camp • 1940s

Publication Year

1973

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

12-18 years

Lexile Level

1040L

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Super Short Summary

Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston narrates her experience as a young girl in a Japanese American concentration camp during WWII, describing her family's upheaval from Long Beach to the Manzanar camp, her father's arrest and changed behavior, camp life challenges, family disintegration, and eventual return to Southern California, where Jeanne grapples with identity and acceptance. This book discusses the imprisonment of Japanese Americans during WWII, alcohol addiction, domestic abuse, and racism/xenophobia.

Melancholic

Informative

Emotional

Mysterious

Contemplative

Reviews & Readership

4.1

21,085 ratings

64%

Loved it

26%

Mixed feelings

10%

Not a fan

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Review Roundup

Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston receives praise for its poignant and compelling recount of Japanese-American internment during WWII. Critics commend its emotional depth and historical significance, though some note a slow narrative pace and occasional disjointedness. Overall, it's valued for illuminating a crucial part of American history.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Farewell to Manzanar?

A reader who appreciates historical memoirs and introspective narratives will enjoy Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston's Farewell to Manzanar. Fans of The Diary of Anne Frank or Night by Elie Wiesel, which illuminate personal experiences in the face of adversity, will find this poignant account of Japanese American internment compelling and enlightening.

4.1

21,085 ratings

64%

Loved it

26%

Mixed feelings

10%

Not a fan

Book Details
Pages

208

Format

Autobiography / Memoir • Nonfiction

Setting

Manzanar Internment Camp • 1940s

Publication Year

1973

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

12-18 years

Lexile Level

1040L

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