Farewell To Manzanar

Foreword

WhenwefirstconsideredwritingabookabouttheinternmentofJapanese

AmericansduringWorldWarTwo,wetoldaNewYorkwriterfriendaboutthe

idea.Hesaid,“It’sadeadissue.Thesedaysyoucanhardlygetpeopletoread

aboutaliveissue.Peopleareissuedout.”

“Iknowit,”myhusbandsaid.“I’missuedoutmyself.Theissueisn’twhatwe

wanttowriteabout.Everybodyknowsaninjusticewasdone.Howmanyknow

whatactuallywentoninside?Iftheythinkanything,theythinkconcentration

camps.ButthatconjuresupPolandandSiberia.Andthesecampsweren’tlike

thatatall.”

Sowesetouttowriteaboutthelifeinsideoneofthosecamps—Manzanar—

wheremyfamilyspentthreeandahalfyears.Webeganwithataperecorderand

anold1944yearbookputtogetheratManzanarHighSchool.Itdocumentedthe

entirecampscene—thegraduatingseniors,theguardtowers,theJudopavilion,

thecreeksIusedtowadein,myfamily’sbarracks.Asthephotosbroughtthat

worldback,Ibegantodredgeupfeelingsthathadlainsubmergedsincethe

forties.IbegantomakeconnectionsIhadpreviouslybeenafraidtosee.Ithad

takenmetwenty-fiveyearstoreachthepointwhereIcouldtalkopenlyabout

Manzanar,andthemoreItalked,thecleareritbecamethatanybookwewrote

wouldhavetoincludeagooddealmorethanday-to-daylifeinsidethe

compound.TotellwhatIknewandfeltaboutitwouldmeantellingsomething

aboutourfamilybeforethewar,andtheyearsthatfollowedthewar,andabout

myfather’spast,aswellasmyownwayofseeingthingsnow.Writingithas

beenawayofcomingtotermswiththeimpacttheseyearshavehadonmy

entirelife.

Tocompletethisbookwehavehadtorelyonagooddealbesidesmyown

recollections.Manypeoplehelpedmakeitpossible,morethanwecanname

here.Weareespeciallygratefultoallthemembersofthefamilywhoshared

theirmemories,andtothesefriends:JackandMaryTakayanagi,DonTanzawa,

andMaryDuffield.Weareindebtedtothenumerouswritersandresearchers

whoseworkshavebeenindispensabletoourownperspectiveontheperiod.And

wethanktheUniversityofCaliforniaatSantaCruzforaresearchgrantthat

madeitpossibletobegin.

Becausethisisatruestory,involvinganextraordinaryepisodeinAmerican

history,wehaveincludedalistofdatesandlawswehopewillmakeiteasierto

follow.Itneedssomehistoricalcontext.Butthisisnotpoliticalhistory.Itisa

story,orawebofstories—myown,myfather’s,myfamily’s—tracingafew

paths,outofthemultitudeofpathsthatleduptoandawayfromtheexperience

oftheinternment.

—JeanneWakatsukiHouston,SantaCruz,California,March1973

Overview

This document Farewell To Manzanar offers a poignant account of Japanese American internment during WWII, focusing on life inside Manzanar camp through personal recollections. Written by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston, the book delves into the emotional impact of this dark period, shedding light on the injustices faced by families like the Wakatsukis. Through vivid storytelling and historical context, the narrative explores themes of resilience, identity, and family bonds. A blend of personal narrative and historical insight, Farewell To Manzanar provides a compelling perspective on a lesser-known aspect of American history, inviting readers to reflect on themes of prejudice and resilience.

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