Farewell to Manzanar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Farewell to Manzanar is a memoir published in 1972 by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston. It was made into a movie in 1976 starring Yuki Shimoda, Nobu McCarthy, Pat Morita, and Mako.

The book describes Wakatsuki Houston's and her family's experience being detained at the Manzanar internment camp as part of the United States government's internment of Japanese-Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II.

Jeanne, a Nisei (American-born child of Japanese immigrants) was seven years old at the time, and had spent very little time around other Asians. It is not until after Pearl Harbor that she is forced to interact with people of her race. Her stay at Terminal Island is filled with fear due to being unaccepted by the other Asian children: she speaks only English.

Chapter 2 of the novel, titled "Shikata ga nai", is a reference to a common phrase used by Japanese-Americans to cope with their helplessness in the situation. Translated, it means "It can't be helped."

This non-fiction book has become a staple of curriculum in schools and universities across the United States. It has been described as the American equivalent to Anne Frank's diary.