The Japanese-american Internment

by Rachael Hanel

Describes the events surrounding the internment of Japanese Americans in relocation centers during World War II. The readers choices reveal the historical details from the perspective of Japanese internees and Caucasians.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Childrens

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

I'm a writer and associate professor of creative writing in southern Minnesota, where I was born and raised. WE'LL BE THE LAST ONES TO LET YOU DOWN is my first book for adults. I have written more than 20 books for the children's educational market. My book, NOT THE CAMILLA WE KNEW: ONE WOMAN'S PATH FROM SMALL-TOWN AMERICA TO THE SYMBIONESE LIBERATION ARMY, is forthcoming in December 2022 from the University of Minnesota Press.

Reviews

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

A choose-your-own story with facts. About the interment and you as a Japanese American choose your fate. Also one story as an American teacher. Good. Gives good info. Will help kids understand those hard choices.

Great for middle grade.

[Katie Harder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book deserves four stars based on the concept alone. I know the Interactive History Adventure series uses the "choose your adventure" format for several major historical events, but the idea is particularly well suited to Japanese-American internment. One of the previous commentors complained that too many paths led to the same outcome - that's the genius of this book! Like Japanese Americans in WWII, you have few real choices. This book is well suited to younger teens who are learning about WWII, and especially for resistant readers, who will appreciate the high entertainment/educational value paired with the easy reading level.

Read alongside Sylvia and Aki or Hiroshima No Pika

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up a book from this series after a young man at the library spoke so enthusiastically of it to me. This is such a great way to learn history! It's a choose-your-own-adventure book that lets you experience historical events as they happened to real people. In the one I selected on Japanese American Internment camps I actually ended up doing ok by ending up in medical school after the war, but the ending on the opposite page was being killed in France. There are apparently 11 endings in all and 43 choices, according to the cover.

I really enjoyed how being forced to make decisions made the events feel so real. I also think it demonstrated how arbitrary outcomes can be. We're all just making the best decisions we can at any time, and it's not always clear how A leads to B leads to a death on a field in France. It's a great lesson on history, but also a great lesson that most of us don't "deserve" anything we have, good or bad. It's all so random.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would it be like to be an American citizen suddenly forced into a military camp simply because of your ancestry? Sadly this was a reality for thousands during WWII, which young readers are introduced to in this installment of the Interactive Histories series. Following the plight of Japanese Americans, this is good for introducing the topic but the format hinders research. On a side note, I had a chance to visit Manzanar and I can't encourage it enough. Very sobering to witness the remnants of this dark time in America's history.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the things in history that I think we should really cover more. I didn't hear about it until I was an adult and I think our students need to see the darker side of America during World War II. Plus it is a choose your own adventure book which the kids just love.

[Jeri · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was my least favorite interactive history adventure that we have read yet. It didn't draw me into the characters emotionally and a lot of the choices led to the same ending path. I'm disappointed that I actually bought this one.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.1 stars