Fact Friday: Desert Diary: Japanese American Kids Behind Barbed Wire by Michel O. Tunnell

Image: Charlesbridge

Desert Diary: Japanese American Kids Behind Barbed Wire by Michel O. Tunnell. 134 p. Charlesbridge, October, 2020. 9781580897891. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Happy Friday! Phew! We made it to the Memorial Day Weekend and the last push to the end of the school year. The kids, well, most of them completed state testing this week. I am so ready for the summer break. Fact Friday features Desert Diary: Japanese American Kids Behind Barbed Wire by Michael O. Tunnell. There have been quite a few books published for young adult readers revealing a dark history, the forced removal of U.S. citizens of Japanese descent after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This book is unique in that the reader is given a glimpse into the day-to-day existence through a primary source document-a class diary. Mae Yanagi was eight-years-old when she was evacuated with her family from California to Topaz Camp in Utah. Her teacher, wanting to maintain a sense of normalcy in the middle of a desert surrounded by guard towers and barbed wire, kept a daily class diary for several months. She would record her students' observations and they would take turns illustrating it. Other images supporting the narrative include black and white archival photos from the time. Readers can't help but be touched by these reproductions of important primary source documents. 

Back matter includes a glossary, editor's note, and selected bibliography. Desert Diary is a unique addition to any school or classroom library.