| Looking Like the Enemy: My Story of Imprisonment in Japanese American Internment Camps Contributor(s): Gruenewald, Mary Matsuda (Author) |
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ISBN: 0939165538 ISBN-13: 9780939165537 Publisher: NewSage Press OUR PRICE: $15.30 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: April 2005 Annotation: In 1941, Mary Matsuda Gruenewald was a teenage girl who, like other Americans, reacted with horror to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Yet soon she and her family were among 110,000 innocent people imprisoned by the U.S. government because of their Japanese ancestry. In this eloquent memoir, she describes both the day-to-day and the dramatic turning points of this profound injustice: what is was like to face an indefinite sentence in crowded, primitive camps; the struggle for survival and dignity; and the strength gained from learning what she was capable of and could do to sustain her family. It is at once a coming-of-age story with interest for young readers, an engaging narrative on a topic still not widely known, and a timely warning for the present era of terrorism. Complete with period photos, the book also brings readers up to the present, including the author's celebration of the National Japanese American Memorial dedication in 2000. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | United States - 20th Century - Biography & Autobiography - Social Science | Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies |
| Dewey: B |
| LCCN: 2005004076 |
| Physical Information: 0.52" H x 6.07" W x 9.08" (0.80 lbs) 192 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 1940's - Ethnic Orientation - Japanese - Ethnic Orientation - Asian - Chronological Period - 20th Century |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The author at 16 years old was evacuated with her family to an internment camp for Japanese Americans, along with 110,000 other people of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast. She faced an indefinite sentence behind barbed wire in crowded, primitive camps. She struggled for survival and dignity, and endured psychological scarring that has lasted a lifetime. This memoir is told from the heart and mind of a woman now nearly 80 years old who experienced the challenges and wounds of her internment at a crucial point in her development as a young adult. She brings passion and spirit to her story. Like The Diary of Anne Frank, this memoir superbly captures the emotional and psychological essence of what it was like to grow up in the midst of this profound dislocation and injustice in the U.S. Few other books on this subject come close to the emotional power and moral significance of this memoir. In the end, the reader is buoyed by what Mary learns from her experiences and what she is able to do with her life. In 2005 she becomes one more Nissei who breaks her silence. |
