Summary Of Desert Exile By Yoshiko Uchida

Desert Exile by Yoshiko Uchida is set in the 1940’s during World War II, focusing on the conditions of the Japanese internment camps in America. After Japan bombed the U.S. naval base Pearl Harbor, tensions and emotions in the U.S. were high. Japanese Americans found themselves at the receiving end of hatred, racism, and scrutiny from fellow Americans, including the United States Government. The government gave into the fear and anger consuming the country, deciding to “forcibly evict all West Coast Japanese… under the guise of ‘military necessity’” (Uchida 54). Slowly but surely, thousands of Japanese Americans were ripped away from their lives and imprisoned in makeshift relocation centers where they lived in nightmarish, borderline inhumane,

Desert Exile, authored by Uchida, details her haunting experience living in the internment camps. Uchida highlights three groups of people in her work: Japanese Americans, the public, and the government. Unsurprisingly, Uchida speaks very highly of Japanese Americans in the text. Her perspective on them mirrored my own prior knowledge of the group in the sense that they were upset about the unreasonable evacuation, yet still remained civil and collected for the most part. Additionally, as Uchida explains, “most Nisei has never been to Japan. The United States of America was [their] only country and [they] were totally loyal to it” (Uchida 53). This supports the facts learned in class— that most of the interned Japanese Americans were innocent and that none of them were ever convicted for treason. The reality is that the majority of the Nisei had no ties to Japan and played no part in the bombing of Pearl Harbor. So, it left many feeling “saddened and frustrated” when they later concluded that “Japanese Americans were not only denied the right to serve [their] country, but had been made it’s unwilling victims” (Uchida 128). In fact, frustration was a prevalent and consistent emotion during those months in the camps. Time and time again,

Thousands of people read her book, and there has never been another concentration camp in America. Her book has served its purpose, at least so far. If you measure success by the quality of the book, though, Desert Exile also proved to be successful in that aspect. The book had few dry spots and the insight on the conditions of the camps and the emotions of those involved was interesting to say the least. It didn’t contradict any prior knowledge, but enhanced it. The book delved deeper into what the Japanese internment camps were like, with a touch of first hand knowledge and