An authoritative overview that explains how the attack on Pearl Harbor led to the evacuation and internment of Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans; details living conditions in the camps; discusses the economic, emotional, and physical toll on interned Japanese-Americans; and ponders the legacy of internment on American society. Includes biographies, primary sources, and more.

Narrative overview -- Japanese immigration to the United States -- World War II and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor -- The War Relocation Authority -- Life in the camps -- Paths to freedom -- Returning home -- The legacy of Japanese-American internment -- Biographies: Clara Breed, 1906-1994 ; John L. DeWitt, 1880-1962 ; Gordon Hirabayashi, 1918-2012 ; Daniel K. Inouye, 1924-2012 ; Saburo Kido, 1902-1977 ; Fred Korematsu, 1919-2005 ; Mike Masaoka, 1915-1991 ; Kazuo Masuda, 1918-1944 ; Dillon S. Myer, 1891-1982 ; Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1882-1945 ; Minoru Yasui, 1916-1986 -- Primary sources: President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Day of infamy" speech ; Pearl Harbor changes the world of a young Japanese-American girl ; A college student recalls fear and uncertainty after Pearl Harbor ; Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt urges Japanese evacuation of the Pacific Coast ; Executive Order 9066 paves the way for internment ; The evacuation order for all persons of Japanese ancestry ; The Japanese American Citizens League supports evacuation orders ; A young mother's nightmarish experience of evacuation and internment ; A sixth-grader describes her arrival at Manzanar ; Bitterness and disillusionment at Poston ; A young internee provides a glimpse of life in Poston ; Report on the work of the War Relocation Authority ; The War Department ends the internment program ; President Ford officially terminates Executive Order 9066 ; Civil Liberties Act of 1988 ; The United States formally apologizes to internees ; Former internee George Takei remembers Camp Rohwer -- Important people, places, and terms -- Chronology.