Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, whose memoir, Farewell to Manzanar, told the story of her incarceration as a Japanese American child during World War II, has died at 90, HarperCollins announced in a news release.
Houston was born in Inglewood, California, and at age 7 was forcibly sent by the U.S. government to a camp in Manzanar, where she and her family were imprisoned for three and a half years with other Japanese Americans.
She told the story of her experiences at the camp in Farewell to Manzanar, which she co-wrote with her husband, novelist James D. Houston. The book was published in 1973 and has since become a staple of high school and college reading lists. A television movie based on the book, written by the couple, aired in 1976; it was directed by John Korty and starred Yuki Shimoda, Nobu McCarthy, and Pat Morita.
Houston’s other books include a novel, The Legend of Fire Horse Woman, and a nonfiction book, Don’t Cry, It’s Only Thunder, co-written with Paul G. Hensler.
“Her passing marks the end of an era, but Jeanne’s legacy will live on through her work and the countless lives she touched along the way,” HarperCollins said in a statement.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
