Journey to Topaz | Essay & Project Ideas

Journey to Topaz Ideas for Reports and Papers

1. Uchida's book Desert Exile is an autobiography of her experiences in Berkeley, Tanforan, and Topaz during World War II. Compare this nonfiction book with Journey to Topaz. How much of the novel is taken from real life? What are the most important events in Journey to Topaz that were based on Uchida's personal observations?

2. Why did the U.S. government intern Japanese-Americans? How did it choose who was interned and who was not?

Were there any good reasons for interning Japanese-Americans? How might the government have better responded to the problems and needs of JapaneseAmericans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor?

3. How many internment camps were there? Where were they? Who was put in them? What was daily life in the camps like? Journey to Topaz and Desert Exile are good places to start your research, but you should read at least...
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