Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
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Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston (born September 26, 1934) is an American writer. Her writings primarily focus on ethnic identity formation in the United States of America. She is best known for her
autobiographical novel An autobiographical novel is a form of novel using autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements. The literary technique is distinguished from an autobiography or memoir by the stipulation of being fiction. Bec ...
''
Farewell to Manzanar ''Farewell to Manzanar'' is a memoir published in 1973 by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston. The book describes the experiences of Jeanne Wakatsuki and her family before, during, and following their relocation to the Manzanar inte ...
'' that narrates her personal experiences in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
internment camps Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...
.


Biography

Houston was born in Inglewood, California, on September 26, 1934, attended
Long Beach Polytechnic High School Long Beach Polytechnic High School, founded in 1895 as Long Beach High School, is a four-year public high school located at 1600 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach, California, United States. The school serves portions of Long Beach, including Bixby ...
for three years and graduated from James Lick High School in San Jose. She was the youngest of four boys and six girls in the Wakatsuki family. For the first seven years she experienced a normal childhood. She lived in
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
until 1942 when President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, causing her and her family to be evacuated. They were forced to leave their home and be taken to Manzanar. They rode in large greyhound buses from
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
to
Manzanar Manzanar is the site of one of ten American concentration camps, where more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II from March 1942 to November 1945. Although it had over 10,000 inmates at its peak, it was one ...
, a drive that takes about three hours and forty five minutes today. At the time she was only seven years old. She did not understand what was happening because she had no concept of war. She and her family spent the next three years in the camp, attempting to live a "normal" life behind barbed wire, under the watch of armed guards in searchlight towers. Conditions in the camp were awful and sickness spread throughout the camp quickly. This can be attributed to the compactness of the camp. Nearly 10,000 inmates lived in a 500 acre square, and this caused a lot of illness. Adapting to the climate was also difficult. Winters were very cold, and summers were very hot. The food they were provided was canned military food. It was not uncommon for prisoners to not eat because the food was not the traditional food they were accustomed to. Water in the camp was unclean, and it often caused
Dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...
. Despite their efforts, obstacles managed to get in the way: her father's drinking habits and aggressive abuse, having no freedom, and very little space in the cubicles. In her book, ''
Farewell to Manzanar ''Farewell to Manzanar'' is a memoir published in 1973 by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston. The book describes the experiences of Jeanne Wakatsuki and her family before, during, and following their relocation to the Manzanar inte ...
,'' Jeanne describes the living conditions, "After dinner we were taken to Block 16, a cluster of fifteen barracks that had just been finished a day or so earlier—although finished was hardly a word for it. The shacks were built of pine planking covered with tarpaper. They sat on concrete footings, with about two feet of open space between the floorboards and the ground. Gaps showed between the planks, and as the weeks passed and the green wood dried out, the gaps widened. Knotholes gaped in the uncovered floor.” She goes on to explain the size and layout of the barracks. They were divided into six units that were sixteen long by twenty feet wide, and a singular light bulb hung from the ceiling. They had an oil stove for heat as well as two army blankets each, some mattress covers and steel army cots. However, things eventually improved, and they learned to adapt to their environment. Several years after leaving the camp in 1945, Jeanne went to San Jose State College (now
San José State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...
) where she studied sociology and journalism and participated in the marching band's flag team. She met her husband James D. Houston there, and they married in 1957. Jeanne later decided to tell her story about the time she spent in Manzanar in ''Farewell to Manzanar'', co-authored by her husband, in 1972. Ten years after their marriage, in 1967, Jeanne gave birth to a girl. Six years later she gave birth to twins. Jeanne has received many awards for her writing as well as her influence, and for being a voice for Japanese American women. A partial list of her awards can be found at https://www.californiamuseum.org/inductee/jeanne-wakatsuki-houston Other publications include ''Don't Cry, It's Only Thunder'' (1984) with Paul G. Hensler as co-author, and ''Beyond Manzanar and Other Views of Asian-American Womanhood'' (1985).


''Farewell to Manzanar''

In her book ''
Farewell to Manzanar ''Farewell to Manzanar'' is a memoir published in 1973 by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston. The book describes the experiences of Jeanne Wakatsuki and her family before, during, and following their relocation to the Manzanar inte ...
'' (1973), Houston writes about her family's experiences at
Manzanar Manzanar is the site of one of ten American concentration camps, where more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II from March 1942 to November 1945. Although it had over 10,000 inmates at its peak, it was one ...
, an internment camp in
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
's
Owens Valley Owens Valley ( Numic: ''Payahǖǖnadǖ'', meaning "place of flowing water") is an arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States. It is located to the east of the Sierra Nevada, west of the White Mountains and Iny ...
where
Japanese Americans are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...
were imprisoned during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Jeanne was inspired to write the book when her nephew, who was born in
Manzanar Manzanar is the site of one of ten American concentration camps, where more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II from March 1942 to November 1945. Although it had over 10,000 inmates at its peak, it was one ...
, began to learn about it in college and wanted to know more about the place he was born. Her husband, James, co-authored the book. He believed it was not just a book for their family but for the whole world. He would be proven correct, as today it has sold over one million copies. The novel was adapted into a
television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
in 1976, starring
Nobu McCarthy Nobu McCarthy ( ja, ノブ・マッカーシー, born Nobu Atsumi (渥美 延); November 13, 1934 – April 6, 2002) was a Canadian actress. She received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in ...
, who portrayed both Houston as well as her mother in the film.


Distribution

In an effort to educate Californians about the experiences of Japanese Americans who were imprisoned during World War II, the book and movie were distributed in 2002 as part of a kit to approximately 8,500 public elementary and secondary schools and 1,500 public libraries in California. The kit also included study guides tailored to the book, and a video teaching guide. Today, ''Farewell to Manzanar'' has sold over one million copies.


See also

*
List of Asian American writers This is a list of Asian American writers, authors, and poets who have Wikipedia pages. Their works are considered part of Asian American literature. A-D * Ai * Shaila Abdullah * Aria Aber * George Abraham * Jessica Abughattas * Dilruba Ahme ...


References

Wakatsuki Houston, Jeanne. Academic Interview. Nov. 2022


Critical studies

#"National and Ethnic Affiliation in Internment Autobiographies of Childhood by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and
George Takei George Takei (; ja, ジョージ・タケイ; born Hosato Takei (武井 穂郷), April 20, 1937) is an American actor, author and activist known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the fictional starship USS ''Enterprise'' in the televi ...
" By: Davis, Rocío G.; ''Amerikastudien/American Studies'', 2006; 51 (3): 355-68. (journal article) #"'But Isn't This the Land of the Free?': Resistance and Discovery in Student Responses to ''Farewell to Manzanar''" By: Chappell, Virginia A.. pp. 172–88 IN: Severino, Carol (ed. and introd.); Guerra, Juan C. (ed. and introd.); Butler, Johnnella E. (ed. and introd.); ''Writing in Multicultural Settings''. New York, NY: Modern Language Association of America; 1997. xi, 370 pp. (book article) #"The Politics of Possession: The Negotiation of Identity in American in ''Disguise'', ''Homebase'', and ''Farewell to Manzanar''" By: Sakurai, Patricia A.. pp. 157–70 IN: Okihiro, Gary Y. (ed. & introd.); Alquizola, Marilyn (ed.); Rony, Dorothy Fujita (ed.); Wong, K. Scott (ed.); ''Privileging Positions: The Sites of Asian American Studies''. Pullman: Washington State UP; 1995. xiii, 448 pp. (book article) #"The Politics of Possession: Negotiating Identities in American in ''Disguise'', ''Homebase'', and ''Farewell to Manzanar''" By: Sakurai, Patricia A.; ''Hitting Critical Mass: A Journal of Asian American Cultural Criticism'', 1993 Fall; 1 (1): 39-56. (journal article)


External links


''Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston''
Notable Asian Americans, PDF {{DEFAULTSORT:Houston, Jeanne Wakatsuki 1934 births Living people 20th-century American memoirists Japanese-American internees San Jose State University alumni People from Inglewood, California American writers of Japanese descent 20th-century American women writers American autobiographers American women memoirists 21st-century American women American women writers of Asian descent