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. 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. Jeanne describes the stark, cramped conditions of the camp, where the family was eventually reunited with her father, Ko. Then, Jeanne's family were forced to leave their home and were transported to the Manzanar camp. When Jeanne was 8 years old, her father was arrested on suspicion of using his fishing boat to spy for the enemy. 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.

In FAREWELL TO MANZANAR, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston describes her family's internment in a concentration camp in Owens Valley, California.

Overall, Farewell to Manzanar does an excellent job of engaging readers while educating them about the United States' imprisonment of American citizens during this period. Also potentially upsetting is Ko's behavior, as he is sometimes erratic and angry, and often drunk. All of this is set against the backdrop of World War II battles and bombings. It includes details about violent events, including a family fight, a riot in the camp in which rocks and tear gas are used, and the violence escalates until several men are shot. Because of the subject matter, this book can be disturbing to sensitive young readers. The rest of Jeanne's family are later forced to leave their home and are transported to Manzanar, where they are eventually reunited with Ko. Houston, the story begins with the arrest of Jeanne's father, Ko, who is accused of using his fishing boat to assist the Japanese military.

Parents need to know Farewell to Manzanar is a memoir of Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston's childhood as a prisoner in the Manzanar concentration camp in Owens Valley, California.

Jeanne wakatsuki farewell to manzanar