Remembering Manzanar: Life in a Japanese Relocation Camp

by Michael L. Cooper

In this close look at the first relocation camp built for Japanese evacuees living on the West Coast after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, social historian Michael Cooper makes extensive use of the actual wordsfrom diaries, journals, memoirs, and news accountsof the people who were held behind barbed wire in the high California desert. Many were American citizens who felt betrayed by their country. They had to leave their jobs, their homes, and their friends and go live in crowded barracks, eat in noisy mess halls, and do without supplies or books for work or schooling. They showed remarkable bravery and resilience as they tried to lead normal lives, starting their own schools, playing baseball, attending Saturday night dances, and publishing their own newspaper. Archival photographs, some by Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange, augment the informative text. Manzanar is now a National Historic Site and hosts an annual pilgrimage that is attended by former internees, their families, and friends. Endnotes, Internet resources, index.

Genres: World War II, Nonfiction, Asian American

96 pages, Hardcover

First published November 25, 2002

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Please see: Michael L. Cooper


Michael L. Cooper is a writer living in Louisville, Kentucky. For more information about him and his books visit michaellcooper.com. Thanks. MLC

source: Amazon

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this one after reading Kathryn Fitzmaurice's A Diamond in the Desert. This would be a good non-fiction pairing with her title to provide background knowledge about the Japanese Relocation Camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

[Heleina Conejos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: One of the more overlooked aspects of United States History is Executive Order 9066, which forced Japanese-American citizens all over the nation into relocation camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This book focuses on Manzanar, one of the camps the Japanese were sent to. This is an interesting look at what life was like for evacuees, who did not lose hope in the United States despite being singled out.

Classroom use: I would include this book into a unit based on World War II for students in the 4th grade and up. Its visuals will show students the results of war hysteria and that the United States is not excluded from displays of aggression amongst its own. This can lead to similar research projects on the other relocation camps and why this part of United States history is mostly glossed over.

[MissInformation · Rating 3 out of 5]

Studies in the courage and resillience of Japanese Americans who were "relocated" to live in camps during WWII. Most of the images from the time show smiling faces- propaganda photos that were intended to paint a rosier picture. Good first intoduction to the topic.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a straight-forward, nonfiction book about the forced internment of Japanese Americans after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. It's full of pictures by some of America's most well-respected photographers, including Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams. The narration makes it easy to stay engaged. Recommend as a middle grade pairing with Weedflower or Paper Wishes.

[Melinda Borda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is unique from other books about the Japanese relocation camps because of all the pictures this book includes. It puts faces to the facts. It's impossible to read about what happened to the Japanese Americans, see their faces, and then turn away unaffected.

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this book when I was in high school, it was one of the easier books to read. The storyline was interesting and I would not want to put it down. I liked that it was a real event that actually happened, so i was learning about history in a fun way. Alto of informational books can be boring and difficult to read, but what makes this book different is the way the author tries to make the characters relate able or the reader sympathetic to the characters situation. I would recommend this reading for any high school class.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

An American tale not often told, Remembering Manzanar in fact remembers all the relocation camps and those who spent time in them. It sustains a hopeful outlook despite calling out a dark time in the nation's history, showing the cause-and-effect of hasty reactions made in anger and fear.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful perspective, nonfiction.

[Bernice · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great short book to learn about the Japanese interment camps.