Patch Blog: 'Farewell to Manzanar' Book Discussion and Screening

The will is engaging the community in reading and discussing the novel “Farewell to Manzanar” by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James Houston as part of Cal Humanities’ California Reads project subtitled Searching For Democracy.

The California Center for the Book has provided 50 copies that are available for checkout from the Library. Many other checkout copies of the book are also
available for checkout. The book is also still in print in a Bantam Books paperback that retails for $6.99.

About the Book

A touching, funny, and tragic memoir of the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, “Farewell to Manzanar” reminds us of a shameful chapter in the history of our state and our country. The riveting first-person telling of a cataclysmic time for Japanese Americans, were imprisoned in their
own land while being urged to send their sons to fight overseas. The book honors the great dignity and tremendous resourcefulness of a people forced to live under the most oppressive of circumstances. The story is a poignant reminder that in moments of national crisis our civil rights can be at most risk. “Farewell to Manzanar” is a brisk read that lends itself well to lively discussions to examine the meaning o fAmerican democracy.

The Event

will culminate with an in-person book discussion program led by Jeanne Houston on at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 1 and a screening of the “Farewell to Manzanar” full-length film, with an introduction and a Q&A by Jeanne Houston 7 p.m. Friday, March 2. Both free programs will be presented in the at 1115 El Centro Street and doors will open at 6:30 p.m. both nights. No tickets or reservations are necessary.

The Author

Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston was born in Inglewood, California. Best known for “Farewell to Manzanar,” her description of her own family’s experiences, the work explores the ethnic diversity of the United States. Although it is the story of only one Japanese American family’s experiences, it has become a modern classic, often compared with The Diary of Anne Farnk as an example of poignant literature about  the effects of war on youth and the human spirit.

Jeanne Wakatsuki was seven years old in 1942 when her family was uprooted from their home and sent to live at Manzanar concentration camp with 10,000 other Japanese Americans amidst barbed wire, searchlight towers, and armed guards. Jeanne attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School and studied sociology and journalism at San Jose State College.  Co-written with her now-deceased husband, Jim, a legendary California writer in his own right, Jeanne’s memoir is a powerful, unforgettable account.  Jeanne and James met as students at San Jose State and married in 1957 and in 1973 the Houstons  published “Farewell to Manzanar.”

Jeanne has said that it took her 25 years to be able to talk about what happened. To her “writing was “a way of coming to terms with the impact these years have had on my life.” The Houstons also collaborated on the screenplay for an award-winning film based on the book.

“Told without bitterness, her story reflects the triumph of the human spirit during an extraordinary episode in American history.”—Library
Journal