Book Descriptions
for A Fence Away from Freedom by Ellen Levine
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
In an important and powerful documentary, Japanase Americans who were children and young adults just prior to and during World War II tell what happened in their lives after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, when they were labelled "enemy" and made domestic prisoners of war. Comprised primarily of interview's Levine conducted with dozens of Japanese Americans, the text is arranged chronologically, with specific chapters that address the experiences of those in the camps, homeless children, Japanese-American soldiers and draft resisters, and Japanese Peruvians who were deported to the United States for internment. Each chapter opens with an informative discussion that provides a historical framework for the stirring comments that follow. (Ages 12 and older)
CCBC Choices 1995. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 1995. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, nearly 120,000 Japanese-Americans, many of whom had been born in the U.S., were taken from their homes by order of the government and placed in internment camps. Their only crime was their Japanese ancestry. In a series of interviews, Japanese-Americans who were children and teenagers at that time describe life in the camp. Photos.
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.