Voices from the Camps: Internment of Japanese Americans During World War II

Larry Dane Brimner, 1994, young adult.

First off, the book has a lot of really good pictures in it. It starts off with the Pearl Harbor attack and then moves on to the demand to remove all Nisei and Issei from the West Coast. Chapter 2 covers a short history of anti-Asian prejudice in the U.S. Chapter 3 deals with Executive Order 9066, the disagreement over whether or not evacuation was necessary, and has some interesting quotes from some of the people involved.

The exclusion orders and memories of people involved in the process of selling their property and preparing to be "evacuated" are next. The author then writes about the various relocation camps they were sent to and the conditions at the camps. Nisei who served in the military and what they did is covered in Chapter 6. This includes the 100th battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Chapter 7 deals with the loyalty questionnaire, plans for closing the camps, and opposition of some people to the Japanese Americans returning to their homes. Chapter 8 deals with how the internment experience affected the Issei and the Nisei and various redress attempts.

This is a very good, condensed book of information for young adults, covering most of the essential points of the entire internment process and using valuable quotes from individuals involved along with an excellent selection of photographs.

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Main Index
Japan main page
Japanese-American Internment Camps index page
Japan and World War II index page