The book Farwell to Manzanar is the true story of a young Japanese-American girl, Jeanne Wakatsuki. In it she recalls the time after the bombing at Pearl Harbor, the three and a half years during World War II that she spent in an internment camp called Manzanar, and the years following her release. The book begins with a seven year old Jeanne and is told primarily through her eyes until 1972, almost thirty years after she leaves.
             Jeanne's stories of life at Manzanar made me think about how lightly we take things as children. Since most of the book takes place just before and during her internment, it is written as if she is once again seven, eight, or nine. Jeanne writes with the thoughts of a child. She expresses her emotions just as she would have then; almost indifferent to what is going on in the world around her. Fore example, when she is on the bus to Manzanar, Jeanne says, "I was full of excitement, as any kid would be, and wanted to look out the window." She does not mind the fact that she leaving her home for some camp. She sees it as an adventure. Also, throughout her story, Jeanne always seems happier or at least not as affected by things as everyone else. Like when her father returns from Fort Lincoln, everyone is silent and still, but as she recalls, "I was the only one who approached him. I had not thought of him much after he was taken away. He was simply gone. Now, I was so happy to see him that I ran up and threw my arms around his waist and buried my face in his belt." She had not minded her fathers absence. She could not understand what had happened to him. But still she went up to him and expressed her emotions, not caring how the others felt.
             As children we are called innocent. Adults just assume that we do the things we do and act the way we act because we do not know any better. I do not believe that this is always the case. A lot of the things we say and do as chil...