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The Tragic History of the Japanese-American Internment Camps
Before World War II, Japanese Americans on the West Coast worked hard adapting to American life while creating tight-knit communities. However, after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, sending 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent into internment camps. They were forced to live in barracks surrounded by barbed wire and watchtowers. Readers follow Deborah Kent as she details the sad history of these camps, the reasons behind their creation, and how the internees made the best of their deplorable situation, and finally received an official apology from the U.S. Government.
* Reviews *
Geared to middle and high school students, these volumes cover events in American history that have shaped and in some instances are still shaping U.S. culture today. Internment camps for Japanese Americans, Latino civil rights, Puerto Rico, and the history of the American Indians are all subjects that to some extent present on-going issues. Certainly, one can draw a connection between Guantanamo and the Japanese internment camps; and the treatment of American Indians and Latino immigrants are still issues in school and society. However, while each book offers relevant facts and figures, and provides the overall context in which events occurred, the individual presentations are dry. They do not engage readers or encourage further reading. The books seem more like pages of an encyclopedia, useful for writing reports.
RL
Grades
5-6 IL
Grades
5-12+ GRL
Z
