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I am an American: A True Story of Japanese Internment:
Illustrated with black-and-white photographs. Young Shi Nomura was among the 120,000 American citizens who lost everything when he was sent by the U.S. government to Manzanar, an interment camp in the California desert, simply because he was of Japanese ancestry.
112 pages, Paperback
First published August 16, 1994
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About the author
Jerry Stanley
14 books7 followers“I’ve learned there’s no such thing as wasted writing or bad writing. All writing leads to better writing.”
Jerry Stanley is the author of several highly praised books for young readers, including Children of the Dust Bowl, winner of the Orbis Pictus Award; I Am an American, an ALA Notable Book; and Hurry Freedom, a National Book Award nominee and winner of the Orbis Pictus Award. He is a former professor of history at California State University.
Being a writer is one of the great achievements of my life. As a teenager growing up in Detroit, Michigan, I hated school, all my teachers, and learning in general. When I was expelled from high school at the age of seventeen for fighting, I had passed two units—one in woodshop and one in gym. In bidding me farewell, my counselor fired his last shot at my self’-esteem: “Stanley,” he said, “you’re so dumb you couldn’t finish school even if you tried.”
It has taken a lot to prove him wrong. I joined the Air Force to get away from home and after a few years started taking correspondence courses through the mail. During the day I drove bulldozers and forklifts, and at night I learned how to write a complete sentence. I was twenty-one when I finally received my diploma from high school, which was somewhere near the base but which I never saw or visited. I was playing drums in a rock-’n’-roll band when I left the service and enrolled in junior college. This was the turning point in my life: not what I learned there, but getting the nerve to enroll.
I was the model insecure student, as hardly a day passed without my remembering, “Stanley, you’re so dumb. . . .” I can look back now with amusement and laughter at some of the things I did. For example, when I was registering on the first day, standing in a long line to get past this one station, a woman asked, “What do you think your major will be?” I had no idea of what she meant by “major,” but the girl in front of me said “English” and that got her through, so I said “English” (whatever that was) too. A month or so later, while talking about the upcoming midterm (my first), the teacher said, “Blue books are required. You can’t take the midterm without a blue book.” I spent nearly an hour in the library looking for the blue books—in the card catalog under blue, in the periodicals—until a kind reference librarian told me, without snickering, that they were in the bookstore. Though amusing now, when these things happened to me, they were proof that I would be found out: I don’t belong here.
Fearing failure, I became an overachiever. I overstudied every subject, and wrote and rewrote each term paper before finally relinquishing it. But I still lived in doubt from one grade report to the next. Making the dean’s list, graduating from junior college with honors, and being invited to join an honor society all gave me tremendous confidence—for about a day, before the old demon of self-defeat reemerged. Nevertheless, I made my second big decision and enrolled in a state university. At least I now knew what a major was, and I proclaimed “History,” but the most enduring memory of my first few weeks there was learning how to spell university (in case I suddenly had to).
When it became clear that I would get my bachelor’s degree cum laude, I vowed to continue my education until they kicked me out or until there were no other degrees to earn, whichever came first. This was the easiest decision because it came last and not because I had unshakable confidence in my ability to do graduate work. Looking back, I now see that I was not ready for school when my counselor committed that great crime against me by calling me stupid. The hardest decision was the first time I tried to prove him wrong by enrolling in junior college and showing up for my first class quite literally trembling in my chair.
Before the university said that’s it, I earned a Ph.D. and a Phi Beta Ka
Jerry Stanley is the author of several highly praised books for young readers, including Children of the Dust Bowl, winner of the Orbis Pictus Award; I Am an American, an ALA Notable Book; and Hurry Freedom, a National Book Award nominee and winner of the Orbis Pictus Award. He is a former professor of history at California State University.
Being a writer is one of the great achievements of my life. As a teenager growing up in Detroit, Michigan, I hated school, all my teachers, and learning in general. When I was expelled from high school at the age of seventeen for fighting, I had passed two units—one in woodshop and one in gym. In bidding me farewell, my counselor fired his last shot at my self’-esteem: “Stanley,” he said, “you’re so dumb you couldn’t finish school even if you tried.”
It has taken a lot to prove him wrong. I joined the Air Force to get away from home and after a few years started taking correspondence courses through the mail. During the day I drove bulldozers and forklifts, and at night I learned how to write a complete sentence. I was twenty-one when I finally received my diploma from high school, which was somewhere near the base but which I never saw or visited. I was playing drums in a rock-’n’-roll band when I left the service and enrolled in junior college. This was the turning point in my life: not what I learned there, but getting the nerve to enroll.
I was the model insecure student, as hardly a day passed without my remembering, “Stanley, you’re so dumb. . . .” I can look back now with amusement and laughter at some of the things I did. For example, when I was registering on the first day, standing in a long line to get past this one station, a woman asked, “What do you think your major will be?” I had no idea of what she meant by “major,” but the girl in front of me said “English” and that got her through, so I said “English” (whatever that was) too. A month or so later, while talking about the upcoming midterm (my first), the teacher said, “Blue books are required. You can’t take the midterm without a blue book.” I spent nearly an hour in the library looking for the blue books—in the card catalog under blue, in the periodicals—until a kind reference librarian told me, without snickering, that they were in the bookstore. Though amusing now, when these things happened to me, they were proof that I would be found out: I don’t belong here.
Fearing failure, I became an overachiever. I overstudied every subject, and wrote and rewrote each term paper before finally relinquishing it. But I still lived in doubt from one grade report to the next. Making the dean’s list, graduating from junior college with honors, and being invited to join an honor society all gave me tremendous confidence—for about a day, before the old demon of self-defeat reemerged. Nevertheless, I made my second big decision and enrolled in a state university. At least I now knew what a major was, and I proclaimed “History,” but the most enduring memory of my first few weeks there was learning how to spell university (in case I suddenly had to).
When it became clear that I would get my bachelor’s degree cum laude, I vowed to continue my education until they kicked me out or until there were no other degrees to earn, whichever came first. This was the easiest decision because it came last and not because I had unshakable confidence in my ability to do graduate work. Looking back, I now see that I was not ready for school when my counselor committed that great crime against me by calling me stupid. The hardest decision was the first time I tried to prove him wrong by enrolling in junior college and showing up for my first class quite literally trembling in my chair.
Before the university said that’s it, I earned a Ph.D. and a Phi Beta Ka
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 3, 2015
INTERESTING, INFORMATIVE, POIGNANT.
“The bombing of Pearl Harbor was a great tragedy in American history, but it resulted in a second tragedy that was no less important: the forced imprisonment in the United States of 120,000 people, two-thirds of whom were United States citizens. These citizens had committed no crime, broken no law, and, when their rights were taken away, they were charged with no offense. Their only crime was that they were of Japanese ancestry.”—page 2
On a Sunday afternoon earlier this month, I was delighted at the chance to enjoy, soon to be ninety-years-old, Mary Kageyama Nomura, The Songbird of Mazanar, perform, in concert with the Tex Beneke Orchestra, at Stonebridge Entertainment’s Great Nisei Reunion II. What an extraordinary treat that was.
Mary Kageyama Nomura is the widow of Shiro Nomura, about whose WWII internment Jerry Stanley’s young-adult book, I AM AN AMERICAN: A True Story of Japanese Interment, is written. Shiro and Mary met as teenage internees at Manzanar War Relocation Center in the high desert of eastern California. Their story, like so many about the internment camps, is poignant.
Recommendation: An excellent read for every American—especially those in high school. “In clear and fascinating prose, Stanley has set forth the compelling story of one of America's darkest times—the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.”—from the goodreads’ synopsis.
”No loyal citizen of the United States should be denied the democratic right to exercise the rights of citizenship, regardless of ancestry. . . . Americanism is not, and never was, a matter of race or ancestry” [FDR, February 1, 1943; the very same FDR who, less than a year earlier, had issued E.O. #9066.]—page 70
Scholastic, Inc. paperback edition, 102 pages
“The bombing of Pearl Harbor was a great tragedy in American history, but it resulted in a second tragedy that was no less important: the forced imprisonment in the United States of 120,000 people, two-thirds of whom were United States citizens. These citizens had committed no crime, broken no law, and, when their rights were taken away, they were charged with no offense. Their only crime was that they were of Japanese ancestry.”—page 2
On a Sunday afternoon earlier this month, I was delighted at the chance to enjoy, soon to be ninety-years-old, Mary Kageyama Nomura, The Songbird of Mazanar, perform, in concert with the Tex Beneke Orchestra, at Stonebridge Entertainment’s Great Nisei Reunion II. What an extraordinary treat that was.
Mary Kageyama Nomura is the widow of Shiro Nomura, about whose WWII internment Jerry Stanley’s young-adult book, I AM AN AMERICAN: A True Story of Japanese Interment, is written. Shiro and Mary met as teenage internees at Manzanar War Relocation Center in the high desert of eastern California. Their story, like so many about the internment camps, is poignant.
Recommendation: An excellent read for every American—especially those in high school. “In clear and fascinating prose, Stanley has set forth the compelling story of one of America's darkest times—the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.”—from the goodreads’ synopsis.
”No loyal citizen of the United States should be denied the democratic right to exercise the rights of citizenship, regardless of ancestry. . . . Americanism is not, and never was, a matter of race or ancestry” [FDR, February 1, 1943; the very same FDR who, less than a year earlier, had issued E.O. #9066.]—page 70
Scholastic, Inc. paperback edition, 102 pages
June 13, 2009
An excellent book about the Japanese internment. The book gives good historical background on the Japanese in the United States that I found very helpful. I also liked following the story of a real high school boy during the internment period. The photographs are wonderful - some are by Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams and all add to the written information.
The tone of the book seems aimed at about an 11 - year old audience. The writing, information and pictures seem aimed at a much older audience - high school and adult. It can probably be read by all ages.
The tone of the book seems aimed at about an 11 - year old audience. The writing, information and pictures seem aimed at a much older audience - high school and adult. It can probably be read by all ages.
October 15, 2021
Reviewed for THC Reviews
"4.5 stars" Prior to WWII, thousands of people of Japanese ancestry lived and worked in the United States. Some, known as Issei, had immigrated from their home country of Japan, while others, known as Nisei, were born in the U. S. and were citizens. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, government officials began to question the loyalty of all people of Japanese heritage regardless of their citizenship status. Soon after, 120,000 Japanese, two-thirds of whom were Nisei, were forced into internment camps and stripped of their civil rights, despite having committed no crime or broken any law. I Am an American chronicles this internment, focusing on the story of one Japanese American young man, Shiro Nomura, who was a high school student at the time. Shiro had been dating and was in love with a young girl, and they’d planned to be married after graduating, but each of them was sent to a different internment camp. Shiro tried to get transferred to the camp she was in, but by the time they were reunited, her feelings had changed, upending his plans and causing heartbreak.
I Am an American looks at Japanese internment in a broader historical context with regards to the war as well as what it was like for Japanese people both before and following the war. But it also presents a more intimate portrait of Shiro Nomura, as well as his girlfriend, Amy Hattori, and the woman he eventually married, Mary Kageyama. The book presents details of their lives before, during, and after internment, while also talking more generally about what life was like in the internment camps. It also focuses on the racism experienced by Japanese Americans in spite of them going to great lengths to prove their loyalty to their country. Even those who’d served in the U. S. military weren’t exempted from this inhumanity. The only slight misgiving I had with the book was how the author frequently quoted white people who used a racist slur. I commend the author for pointing out that it was a slur, so that kids hopefully won’t get the wrong idea and start using it themselves. I also like that he tried to balance these stories of racism with those of white people who supported Japanese Americans, as well as the fact that he pretty unequivocally expressed the injustice of it all. However, a part of me wonders how a child or teen of Japanese ancestry might feel if reading the book and seeing these slurs. This led me to muse on whether there might have been a way to soften the language a bit, given that even I, as a white adult, felt uncomfortable while reading these quotes. I grudgingly admit, though, that the shock value of it does help drive home how terrible and unjust it was for the Japanese Americans experiencing it. My only other concern, given that this is a book aimed at middle-schoolers and perhaps young teens, is the brief mention of a Japanese man committing suicide when he found out that people like him were to be interned. Otherwise, I think this is a great book for teaching kids and teens about this often overlooked and shameful piece of American history. I learned a number of things while reading it that I didn’t previously know, so I know that it would be informative to young people as well.
"4.5 stars" Prior to WWII, thousands of people of Japanese ancestry lived and worked in the United States. Some, known as Issei, had immigrated from their home country of Japan, while others, known as Nisei, were born in the U. S. and were citizens. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, government officials began to question the loyalty of all people of Japanese heritage regardless of their citizenship status. Soon after, 120,000 Japanese, two-thirds of whom were Nisei, were forced into internment camps and stripped of their civil rights, despite having committed no crime or broken any law. I Am an American chronicles this internment, focusing on the story of one Japanese American young man, Shiro Nomura, who was a high school student at the time. Shiro had been dating and was in love with a young girl, and they’d planned to be married after graduating, but each of them was sent to a different internment camp. Shiro tried to get transferred to the camp she was in, but by the time they were reunited, her feelings had changed, upending his plans and causing heartbreak.
I Am an American looks at Japanese internment in a broader historical context with regards to the war as well as what it was like for Japanese people both before and following the war. But it also presents a more intimate portrait of Shiro Nomura, as well as his girlfriend, Amy Hattori, and the woman he eventually married, Mary Kageyama. The book presents details of their lives before, during, and after internment, while also talking more generally about what life was like in the internment camps. It also focuses on the racism experienced by Japanese Americans in spite of them going to great lengths to prove their loyalty to their country. Even those who’d served in the U. S. military weren’t exempted from this inhumanity. The only slight misgiving I had with the book was how the author frequently quoted white people who used a racist slur. I commend the author for pointing out that it was a slur, so that kids hopefully won’t get the wrong idea and start using it themselves. I also like that he tried to balance these stories of racism with those of white people who supported Japanese Americans, as well as the fact that he pretty unequivocally expressed the injustice of it all. However, a part of me wonders how a child or teen of Japanese ancestry might feel if reading the book and seeing these slurs. This led me to muse on whether there might have been a way to soften the language a bit, given that even I, as a white adult, felt uncomfortable while reading these quotes. I grudgingly admit, though, that the shock value of it does help drive home how terrible and unjust it was for the Japanese Americans experiencing it. My only other concern, given that this is a book aimed at middle-schoolers and perhaps young teens, is the brief mention of a Japanese man committing suicide when he found out that people like him were to be interned. Otherwise, I think this is a great book for teaching kids and teens about this often overlooked and shameful piece of American history. I learned a number of things while reading it that I didn’t previously know, so I know that it would be informative to young people as well.
February 18, 2023
A wonderfully written book of the Japanese internment during WWII. My friend Kazuyo was friends with the family whose story is featured in this book. Shi had a grocery store that she frequented upon her arrival to California from Japan in 1969. She recalls he and his family being extremely kind to her. They stayed in touch through 2001. Shi passed in 1999. Amazing historical documentation.
March 10, 2014
After reading "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet," I wanted to know more about this period in history as it related to Americans of Japanese descent. While this book reads a bit like a textbook for a young audience, it was the perfect glimpse into historical facts and real people. I especially loved the photographs. I hope our nation learned from the grave mistakes that were made against this group during WWII.
November 3, 2024
While this focuses on one internee, Shi Nomura, there is a lot of detail for the broader context and other experiences. In addition, Nomura's path gives us a closer look at some of the out of camp work as he helped with beet harvesting, and connections with neighbors.
I had read the quote about white Californians believing they could easily replace the Japanese farmers, but this is the first that I heard that they tended to fail with the crops, and that came to Nomura from a neighbor who visited. There is also some additional detail on the loss of money and property, though I think there is still a story to be told on the results of the land grab.
I had read the quote about white Californians believing they could easily replace the Japanese farmers, but this is the first that I heard that they tended to fail with the crops, and that came to Nomura from a neighbor who visited. There is also some additional detail on the loss of money and property, though I think there is still a story to be told on the results of the land grab.
July 7, 2020
120,000 American citizens of Japanese descent were systematically rounded up from their homes and farms, stripped of all their possessions, and taken by train cars to concentration camps in the desert. Yes, this happened in America in the the 20th century. I found this short read to be very informative in light of the current stripping of our rights as citizens due to media-induced hysteria and lack of leadership. It's amazing how history can repeat itself when we choose to remain ignorant.
October 23, 2021
An excellent book about the Japanese internment. It always amazes me how many people don't know about that era, even though some had camps in their own states. One of the most telling lines (page 60) is when Shi is talkng about getting along with the young people of the town he was in. He said,
"All it took was getting to know each other."
I also appreciated all of the photos in the book. The War Location Authority took photos to record the events of the internment.
"All it took was getting to know each other."
I also appreciated all of the photos in the book. The War Location Authority took photos to record the events of the internment.
January 30, 2025
A very moving account. I think I liked the one about the Minadoka camp better as it is closer to where I am geographically. Still we need to know about some of our history that was not right so that we won't make the same mistakes again.
March 4, 2020
good.
August 12, 2023
Important history that we Americans must grapple with.
April 28, 2025
An account of Japanese internment and how awful and unjust it was
February 24, 2016
This book is centered around the story of one person, Shiro Nimura, a Nisei, a senior in high school, and a Japanese-American who was totally loyal to the U.S., didn't even speak Japanese, and preferred American culture to Japanese.
The book tells about Shiro's parents but weaves into their story the events going on at the time including the vicious prejudice against Japanese on the west coast, not only prior to WWII but decades before the war.
(Shiro himself was not very lucky. He was hit in the head by a shot put, paralyzing him for six months, and on the night of December 6 he was in a car accident.)
The book notes that the Japanese-Americans tried very hard to demonstrate their patriotism but it didn't stop them from being interned. (Racial prejudice and greed trump logic and intelligence almost every time.)
The book notes some of the more idiotic reports of Japanese "sabotage and spying" and how every one of those turned out to be totally false or common things mistaken for spying, such as a "flaming arrow" supposedly pointing the way for Japanese bombers really being nothing but a natural wildfire.
In the two months after Pearl Harbor there were 37 cases of Japanese-American individuals being attacked by gangs on the west coast with a result of seven dead.
There were almost 52,000 Italian aliens and over 19,000 German aliens (people not born in the U.S.) in California and some 600,000 German citizens living in the U.S. overall but only a very small number of either of these were ever interned.
The book details some of the ways the Japanese-Americans were mistreated by greedy whites who bought their property at ridiculously low prices. Further, some whites even hated whites who happened to like the Japanese.
Shiro's family was sent to the Manzanar camp. One of the strongest points of this book is how it is so personal by dealing with the lives of a small number of people in some detail. It makes the book quite interesting.
The next part of the book deals with how the Japanese-Americans served in the military as interpreters in the Pacific theater and in combat groups in Europe.
When the camps were being closed Japanese-Americans returning to their former homes often found trouble. Various white organizations had arisen such as No Japs Incorporated in San Diego and the Home Front Commandos in San Francisco. On the other hand various movie stars and the American Legion wanted the Japanese-Americans to be treated fairly.
80% of the goods that the Japanese-Americans had stored before their evacuations turned out to have been rifled, stolen or sold. They lost over $400 million in property.
This is yet another good book and well worth reading.
The book tells about Shiro's parents but weaves into their story the events going on at the time including the vicious prejudice against Japanese on the west coast, not only prior to WWII but decades before the war.
(Shiro himself was not very lucky. He was hit in the head by a shot put, paralyzing him for six months, and on the night of December 6 he was in a car accident.)
The book notes that the Japanese-Americans tried very hard to demonstrate their patriotism but it didn't stop them from being interned. (Racial prejudice and greed trump logic and intelligence almost every time.)
The book notes some of the more idiotic reports of Japanese "sabotage and spying" and how every one of those turned out to be totally false or common things mistaken for spying, such as a "flaming arrow" supposedly pointing the way for Japanese bombers really being nothing but a natural wildfire.
In the two months after Pearl Harbor there were 37 cases of Japanese-American individuals being attacked by gangs on the west coast with a result of seven dead.
There were almost 52,000 Italian aliens and over 19,000 German aliens (people not born in the U.S.) in California and some 600,000 German citizens living in the U.S. overall but only a very small number of either of these were ever interned.
The book details some of the ways the Japanese-Americans were mistreated by greedy whites who bought their property at ridiculously low prices. Further, some whites even hated whites who happened to like the Japanese.
Shiro's family was sent to the Manzanar camp. One of the strongest points of this book is how it is so personal by dealing with the lives of a small number of people in some detail. It makes the book quite interesting.
The next part of the book deals with how the Japanese-Americans served in the military as interpreters in the Pacific theater and in combat groups in Europe.
When the camps were being closed Japanese-Americans returning to their former homes often found trouble. Various white organizations had arisen such as No Japs Incorporated in San Diego and the Home Front Commandos in San Francisco. On the other hand various movie stars and the American Legion wanted the Japanese-Americans to be treated fairly.
80% of the goods that the Japanese-Americans had stored before their evacuations turned out to have been rifled, stolen or sold. They lost over $400 million in property.
This is yet another good book and well worth reading.
August 22, 2015
Shiro (Shi) Nomura was the son of Hachizo and Tsuro Nomura who had emigrated from Japan to Hawaii in 1900 and then to Berkley, CA, in 1905. Shi was born in the United States, and the family finally settled on a farm southwest of Los Angeles at Keystone where Shi became a student at Banning High School and fell in love with Amy Hattori. But the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, changed his life drastically. On Feb. 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order No. 9066, which resulted in the forced internment (it's internment, folks, not interment) of 120,000 Japanese-Americans, two-thirds of whom were United States citizens, in concentration camps throughout the western United States.
Shi and his family ended up at Manzanar, just south of the desert town of Independence in Inyo County, eastern California. Amy was sent to Amache near the town of Lamar in Colorado. Illustrated with copious black-and-white period photographs and numerous maps, I Am an American tells the true story of the Japanese internment by specifically following the life of Shi at Manzanar, where he lived with his parents, his older brother Shigeru and his family, and his older sister Sadae and her children; through his furlough work on A. T. Tjaden’s farm at Conrad, north of Great Falls, MT, and return to Manzanar; to his visit to Amache in a vain attempt to rekindle his relationship with Amy and final freedom after which he married Mary Kageyama.
On the one hand, we can partially understand the anti-Japanese hysteria because our nation was at war with Japan and, while the vast majority of Japanese-Americans were loyal to the United States, there were some spies and traitors, however few they might have been. On the other hand, there is no doubt that most of the mania was the result of simple racial prejudice that resulted in one of the saddest chapters in America’s otherwise mostly commendatory history. I am sure that there was enough blame to go around, but it is interesting that it was a Democrat administration and a Democrat-controlled Congress which allowed this to happen. There are some references to dancing, and the “d” word is used once by protesters to describe “Japs.” Otherwise, this is a good source of material to accompany a study of World War II.
Shi and his family ended up at Manzanar, just south of the desert town of Independence in Inyo County, eastern California. Amy was sent to Amache near the town of Lamar in Colorado. Illustrated with copious black-and-white period photographs and numerous maps, I Am an American tells the true story of the Japanese internment by specifically following the life of Shi at Manzanar, where he lived with his parents, his older brother Shigeru and his family, and his older sister Sadae and her children; through his furlough work on A. T. Tjaden’s farm at Conrad, north of Great Falls, MT, and return to Manzanar; to his visit to Amache in a vain attempt to rekindle his relationship with Amy and final freedom after which he married Mary Kageyama.
On the one hand, we can partially understand the anti-Japanese hysteria because our nation was at war with Japan and, while the vast majority of Japanese-Americans were loyal to the United States, there were some spies and traitors, however few they might have been. On the other hand, there is no doubt that most of the mania was the result of simple racial prejudice that resulted in one of the saddest chapters in America’s otherwise mostly commendatory history. I am sure that there was enough blame to go around, but it is interesting that it was a Democrat administration and a Democrat-controlled Congress which allowed this to happen. There are some references to dancing, and the “d” word is used once by protesters to describe “Japs.” Otherwise, this is a good source of material to accompany a study of World War II.
November 18, 2012
Grade/Interest Level – Middle School
Reading Level: 1180 Lexile
Genre: Informational Book
Main Characters: Japanese Americans
Setting: California, Japanese internment camps
POV: Japanese Americans
Rating: 5 stars
This book tells the true story of Japanese American students that were forced into Japanese interment camps shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The book depicts the stark yet true story of what it felt like for Japanese Americans, young and old, to be forced to evacuate their homes and live in internment camps. The book focuses on Shi Nomura, a high school student, and relates his experiences to the larger events that took place during the time period. Even though they were all American citizens and did nothing wrong, the book delves into the emotions of the youth and how they tried to reconcile being Japanese and American at the same time. This book is filled with amazing photographs from the time period and maps of the relocation camps. It also shows how the Japanese Americans still held onto their culture while in the relocation camps and were proud of being American and volunteered in the war. This book does a really great job of depicting the lived experiences of Japanese Americans and I would definitely use it in the classroom to focus a discussion around.
Reading Level: 1180 Lexile
Genre: Informational Book
Main Characters: Japanese Americans
Setting: California, Japanese internment camps
POV: Japanese Americans
Rating: 5 stars
This book tells the true story of Japanese American students that were forced into Japanese interment camps shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The book depicts the stark yet true story of what it felt like for Japanese Americans, young and old, to be forced to evacuate their homes and live in internment camps. The book focuses on Shi Nomura, a high school student, and relates his experiences to the larger events that took place during the time period. Even though they were all American citizens and did nothing wrong, the book delves into the emotions of the youth and how they tried to reconcile being Japanese and American at the same time. This book is filled with amazing photographs from the time period and maps of the relocation camps. It also shows how the Japanese Americans still held onto their culture while in the relocation camps and were proud of being American and volunteered in the war. This book does a really great job of depicting the lived experiences of Japanese Americans and I would definitely use it in the classroom to focus a discussion around.
January 30, 2012
This book is about world war two and how it affected the Japanese Americans. This was another version of mistreatment of a different group of people other than the Jews. the Japanese were put on a camp very much like the concentration camp but it was a lot less cruel.
This book taught me that don't judge someone unless you saw the true personality of that person. If something in the pass happened just let it go and move on as a person, just don't disrespect on another because of race. Everyone has a equal amount of respect. It was hard to believe that the Americans were fighting for the Jews but now they are up for racism.
In my opinion, i thought this was a pretty good book to read. It taught me that hardship the Japanese people had to go through. Life wasn't easy back that and its not easy now. But people have to understand, let by gone be by gone. But the book was tough to read because the Japanese treatment was similar how the German treated the Jew. It really teaches you to savor life before it ends because you never know when life is going to end.
This book taught me that don't judge someone unless you saw the true personality of that person. If something in the pass happened just let it go and move on as a person, just don't disrespect on another because of race. Everyone has a equal amount of respect. It was hard to believe that the Americans were fighting for the Jews but now they are up for racism.
In my opinion, i thought this was a pretty good book to read. It taught me that hardship the Japanese people had to go through. Life wasn't easy back that and its not easy now. But people have to understand, let by gone be by gone. But the book was tough to read because the Japanese treatment was similar how the German treated the Jew. It really teaches you to savor life before it ends because you never know when life is going to end.
March 22, 2013
I Am An American
Lexile: 1180
I liked this book a lot because I learned about a part of history that I didn’t know anything about. After Pearl Harbor was bombed, many American people distrusted anyone of Japanese or even Asian ethnicity. Although many people were born in this country and were Americans, they were still discriminated against and locked up in camps because their parents or ancestors came from Japan.
My favorite part of this book was the personal approach to the story because most of the information was told through the story of Shi Nomura. There’s even a little romance because it talks about Shi’s dating life and how he eventually met his wife.
I would recommend this book to people who are interested in historical events and who want to know the truth about events that happened in our country, even if it does have to do with how awful Americans were to fellow citizens of our country.
Lexile: 1180
I liked this book a lot because I learned about a part of history that I didn’t know anything about. After Pearl Harbor was bombed, many American people distrusted anyone of Japanese or even Asian ethnicity. Although many people were born in this country and were Americans, they were still discriminated against and locked up in camps because their parents or ancestors came from Japan.
My favorite part of this book was the personal approach to the story because most of the information was told through the story of Shi Nomura. There’s even a little romance because it talks about Shi’s dating life and how he eventually met his wife.
I would recommend this book to people who are interested in historical events and who want to know the truth about events that happened in our country, even if it does have to do with how awful Americans were to fellow citizens of our country.
October 8, 2008
Reading Level: Middle School
This book traces the story of a Japanese-American who is put into an Internment camp during World War II. It describes what it was like for them to have to be relocated and lose their possessions.
This story is a great asset for the Social Studies curriculum. It can be used as a comparison between treatment of different ethnic groups during World War II and other historical periods. It also opens up discussion regarding the treatment of people based on a certain characteristic or trait.
This book traces the story of a Japanese-American who is put into an Internment camp during World War II. It describes what it was like for them to have to be relocated and lose their possessions.
This story is a great asset for the Social Studies curriculum. It can be used as a comparison between treatment of different ethnic groups during World War II and other historical periods. It also opens up discussion regarding the treatment of people based on a certain characteristic or trait.
September 1, 2011
A book with photos about one Japanese-American, Shiro Nomura, who was forcibly detained and put in a Internment Camp just because he had Japanese parents and because he looked different than the typical white person, and he lived in California during the first part of WWII. The government thought he must have been an obvious spy for Japan. Written for teenagers but still a very disturbing and upsetting account of an event that this was allowed because of mass hysteria. Simple background book about one person’s experience. I recommend it.
May 3, 2016
This is a child's biography, targeted to middle school readers, although older readers will appreciate the text and pictures as well. Stanley tells the story of Japanese Internment through the eyes of one young man from just prior to Japanese internment to afterwards. The pictures in the book are excellent, and greatly add to the value of the book. An excellent book for discussion, particularly about immigration and race.
August 31, 2016
An informative story from Scholastic, with plenty of illustrations. Every schoolboy and girl should read this or other books that reveal the injustice of Japanese internment after Pearl Harbor. Too much of what kids are taught today fear-based. Stanley does an excellent job of showing the terrible things that happened to [Japanese-] Americans in the 40s, while also noting their continued patriotism.
November 29, 2016
This is non-fiction based on primary documents. It is a very personal look at a terrible situation. It is taken from a grade school class diary kept by the kids in the internment camp 4th grade. It follows a few of the real characters in the camp and the epilogue of what happened to them after their release.
It also provides background to what the kids reported in their diary. I haven't seen another book like this: it is unique, as far as I know.
It also provides background to what the kids reported in their diary. I haven't seen another book like this: it is unique, as far as I know.
July 26, 2011
Stanley tells the true story of the Japanese Internment during World War II from a young Japanese boy's experiences. It has plenty of photographs and was a heartbreaking story of racism and prejudice, but, yet, after the U.S. government took everything away from them, including their dignity, the Japanese Americans went back home and started over without violence and very few complaints.
June 17, 2009
I'm planning to teach this next year. This is geared toward 5-6th graders. It was great pictures & gives a basic historical background/information about the Japanese internment during WWII, a time in history we often don't discuss or don't know about.
August 4, 2016
Short but important read about the Japanese Interment through the eyes of one man. The whole history of this just breaks my heart and reminds me how important it is to be aware of our history so we do not repeat the same mistakes.
January 23, 2011
Great book telling story of several people interned and just enough background and historical information
June 7, 2012
This book provides a view of life from one Japanese-American's experience. It is tragic knowing our government allowed this to occur.
June 5, 2013
4.2 stars
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December 23, 2013AR Quiz No. 75167 EN Nonfiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: MG - BL: 8.2 - AR Pts: 3.0
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: MG - BL: 8.2 - AR Pts: 3.0
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP
December 31, 2016
Great book.
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