KOREMATSU V. UNITED STATES: Japanese-American Internment Camps

by Karen Alonso ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1998

This latest entry in the Landmark Supreme Court Cases series presents the troubling case of Fred Korematsu, a Japanese-American citizen who sued the US government for damages for his time spent in an internment camp during WW II. Alonso capably presents the history of the case, attitudes of fear and prejudice in this country before and during WW II, the complex legal issues involved in the case, and the decision rendered by the Supreme Court on December 18, 1944, against Fred Korematsu; she also covers the remarkable story of the case as it was reopened and overturned almost 40 years later, when it was discovered that the government withheld important facts and that the War Department destroyed records and lied to the Justice Department. The book highlights the history of discrimination in the US and, in a very readable way, gives readers a context for comprehending terrible past events. While making clear that such events should not be repeated, Alonso recalls some of the racist remarks made in the wake of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and questions whether Americans have ""learned to push prejudice"" from their minds.

Pub Date: April 1, 1998

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 128

Publisher: Enslow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1998

Categories: CHILDREN'S