The book that I read is "Farewell to Manzanar". A true story of Japanese
American experience during and after the World War II internment. This is a story of
Jeanne Wakatsuki, her father Ko, her mother Riku and her brothers and sisters from the
experience of the internment at Manzanar camp where they stayed for 3 1/2 years.
On December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Ko, Jeanne's
Father burned everything that he had brought from Hiroshima that suggested he had some
connection with his country, Japan, where he attended military school until the age of
seventeen. Ko was a fisherman; he was arrested because he was accused of delivering oil
to Japanese submarines. He looked like the enemy and was sent to Bismarck, North
Dakota and imprisoned at Fort Lincoln. This was the beginning of a terrible and desperate
time for Jeanne's family. Before the attack, they lived in Ocean Park, near Santa Monica.
In February the Navy decided to clear terminal Islands because it was dangerous
having Orientals so close to the Long Beach Naval Station, therefore, they gave them
Forty- eight hours to abandon the area. The American Friend services helped them to
Public attitudes toward the Japanese in California changed, anti Japanese
American racism surfaced since the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The government ordered
them to move to the first permanent camp MANZANAR.
On March 25, 1942 evacuees began to arrive, over 10,000 Japanese from Southern
California were interned. Jeanne was seven years old, all twelve members of her family
were taken to block 16, each block if 15 barracks which was divided into six units. They
were assigned two of these for her entire family. In camp everybody shared a bath, open
latrine and mess building. The food made them sick, young and old alike, because the
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