Farewell To Manzanar

Farewell To Manzanar

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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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
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