The Incarceration of Japanese Americans in the 1940s: Literature for the High School Classroom

Rachel Endo offers new ways to talk and teach about the incarceration of Japanese Americans in the United States during World War II through the selected works of critically acclaimed Japanese American authors Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, Lawson Fusao Inada, and Hisaye Yamamoto.

The latest volume in the NCTE High School Literature Series offers new ways to talk and teach about the incarceration of Japanese Americans in the United States during World War II through the selected works of three critically acclaimed Japanese American authors: Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston's memoir Farewell to Manzanar, along with its film version; a sampling of Lawson Fusao Inada's poetry; and a selection of Hisaye Yamamoto's short stories. All three authors were children or young adults during World War II, and their texts powerfully speak to how being racially profiled, forcibly removed from their homes, and then detained in racially segregated concentration camps for nearly three years forever changed their lives. This volume features author biographies, guiding questions, resources for teachers, and student-centered activities that incorporate digital literacy. Assignments and discussion questions that appeal to multiple learning styles are included. With several student work samples as models, each chapter includes practical ideas for the classroom, including connecting common themes in Japanese American literature about World War II to contemporary social issues such as civil rights, identity, immigration reform, and race relations.