Through Innocent Eyes Teenagers Impressions of Ww2 Internment Camp Life

In 1942, some 120,000 Japanese Americans, without benefit of due process, were removed from their homes & confined to stark internment centers in desolate areas of the United States. Of the Japanese Americans interned, 30,000 were school age children. For the first time, the writing & artwork of these young people have been compiled into a single volume to bring us their voices & visions. In this return to a historical time of racial stereotyping & hatred; war hysteria & paranoia, one finds the voices surprisingly restrained. There is little anger here--no bitterness or despair. Here are pages that are key to the young--vibrant with optimism & hope. Ray Franchi, a teacher at Poston (one of the ten internment camps) & Paul Takeda, a Red Cross worker compiled the original scrapbook of sketches & writings so that other school-aged children could become familiar with the plight of the Japanese Americans during the war. However, the scrapbook remained submerged until 45 years later. Keiro Services, a non-profit organization providing long-term care to the Japanese American elderly decided to make the collection available to increase awareness & education among the general public. Edited by Vincent Tajiri, the book contains the illustrations & sketches of fifty children along with contributing works by other known authors of the camp experience. Also included is a brief interview with the schoolteacher, Franchi. The audio version of THROUGH INNOCENT EYES was produced by Family Media with an introduction by George Takei (of Star Trek fame). Published by Keiro Services, PO Box 33819, Los Angeles, CA 90033-0819. Telephone: 213-263-5693.Tajiri, Vincent is the author of 'Through Innocent Eyes Teenagers Impressions of Ww2 Internment Camp Life', published 1989 under ISBN 9780962445019 and ISBN 0962445010.