Presentation Rubric for Book Reviews

Part 1: Professional Reading Assignment

Select/read a book from the list in the syllabus or one of your choice (with approval of professor) that
meets the criteria of a professional level book related to teaching and learning.
One book can be selected for a small group to read or different books can be selected. Individual
group members will still make the responses.
The key is to synthesize the information and provide compelling reasons for others to read the
book. Link the information to the course content in an appropriate manner.
Do not recreate or try to teach the entire book. Others can read the book if they are interested.
Your job is to synthesize the information and present it in a compelling and professional manner.

After reading the book do the following:

Farewell to Manzanar
By: Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston & James D. Houston
Random House 2006

Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston was born in in Inglewood, California and spent most of her life
on the West Coast. Jeanne and her family were sent to live in Manzanar during World War II
because of their Japanese heritage. Jeanne studied sociology and journalism at San Jose
State College; this is where she met her husband. Jeanne has received the prestigious
Humanitas Prize for the NBC television drama based on Farewell to Manzanar.

James D. Houston was born in San Francisco. James has written seven novels and several

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nonfiction works. James is a former Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford, and has received a
National Endowment for the Arts writing grant and a Library of Congress Story Award, and
he has twice traveled to Asia, lecturing for the USIS Arts America program.

Task Response
Select 2-3 key areas Point 1: That night Papa burned the flag he had brought with him from Hiroshima thirty-five years
or points made by earlier (Houston & Houston, p. 6). He didnt struggle. There was no point to it. He had become a
the author that add man without a country (Houston & Houston, p. 8).
to your professional
learning and
synthesize the ideas
Point 2: Now I was so happy to see him that I ran up and threw my arms around his waist and
by making buried my face in his belt.It was as if the youngest, the least experienced, had been appointed
connections to other to display what the others, held back by awe or fear, or some old-country notion of respect for the
relevant research patriarch, could not (Houston & Houston, p. 46).
and current
information to Point 3: I have been living in this country nine years longer than you have. Do you realize that?
support the validity Yet I am prevented by law from becoming a citizen. I am prevented by law from owning land. I am
of the book content. now separated from my family without cause
When your mother and your father are having a fight, do you want them to kill each other? Or do
you just want them to stop fighting? (Houston & Houston, p.64)

Elaborate on these Idea 1: When the Japanese were being taken away from their families because they were
key ideas (in considered to be prisoners of war, Papa was obviously trying to not have any association with
previous task) by Japan. By burning his Japanese flag he was trying to send a message that his loyalty is with
evaluating the ideas America. He wanted to show his allegiance to the country that he was living in and had been living
and applying the
ideas to your
in for so long. This applies to intercultural competence because Papa was a foreigner that felt like
understanding of a native in his new country. He knew where he was from but he knew what he had built in America.
intercultural He knew who his children were and what this country meant to him. By living in America he was
competence. given a chance to live a prosperous life, one that he would not have had in Japan. By living in
America he was able to marry the woman that he loves and build a life with her. This meant
everything to him and it was enough for him to pledge his allegiance to this country and not look
back.

Idea 2: Jeanne was so happy to see her father again after he was taken away from their family.
Her first instinct was to throw her arms around him and give him a hug. This is different from the
Japanese custom because Papa was the head of the household and therefore demanded respect
and showed no weakness. He was strong and tough and would always look this way. This quote
exposes the differences within the two countries. This quote shows us how an America that grows
up in a Japanese household may think and do things differently than what the family custom is
used to. She wanted to show affection to her father for being away for so long. When she did that,
her family and siblings looked at her with awe or fear, because what has been instilled in them was
old Japanese traditions that held them back from showing so much affection.

Idea 3: when Papa was taken to Fort Lincoln, American soldiers interviewed him. In the interview
consisted of how he felt about America and how he felt about Japan. One of the most powerful
things that Papa said during the interview was, when your mother and your father are having a
fight, do you want them to kill each other? Or do you just want them to stop fighting? He knew
that Japan and America are apart of his nationality. He is both Japanese and American. He has
ties with both countries and he want to support both of them. He knew that the war was going to
end in Americas favor, but his ties to Japan were still there. He didnt want the two countries to
fight and he wanted there to be peace in both. He was explaining his confliction with having both
of the countries fight with one another. He didnt want to pick sides, he just wanted there to be
peace because both countries are apart of him.

Evaluate the content The ideas that the book has are synthesized with my personal worldview; I am America,
in relationship to Japanese, and Mexican. Papas allegiance to both of his countries makes sense to me because I
your belief am a person who is of multiple countries. If my heritages were fighting with one another I wouldnt
system/worldview. know whom I was supposed to be supporting. I would only know that I would want the fighting to
Describe and
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explain areas of stop. I would want peace among us and I would want the fighting to stop. I also understand where
compatibility and Jeannie was coming from, she missed her father and she just wanted to show him affection when
areas of differences. he was finally back in their lives. She wasnt afraid to do what she wanted anymore because she
lost him once before. Her traditions were lost in that moment and just wanted to express how
much she missed him. What I do not understand is the burning of his Japanese flag. I know he
wanted to show his allegiance to America, but he was choosing sides at this point. Instead of
choosing sides, he could have remained neutral. America already knew that he was Japanese, so
he didnt need to burn something that meant so much to him and that he had for so long.
Link the book I think one of the most powerful themes in this book is not judging someone based on how they
content to look. This goes back to the iceberg theory. That people understand parts of you that are visible.
one/several of the They do not always know a person from the inside and what they are about because they do not
theories we are expose that part of them. Jeannie is Japanese American. She looks Japanese but she was born
studying in this
course. Provide a
and raised in America. She was brought up by values of both Japan and America. When she went
comprehensive to school she felt more comfortable with the Caucasian students than she did with the Asian
overview of how the students. She was afraid of the Asian students because they were mean to her and would chase
content of this book her down the block. When she moved to an area where it was mainly Asian people, she was so
supports the scared because of things that had happened in the past. She grew up in a different manner and all
development of of her values and what she believed she was didnt match who she was on the outside. She was
intercultural considered to be a native that looked like a foreigner.
competence.
How has this This book helped me develop a deeper conceptual knowledge for understanding myself and other
reading helped you in a culturally competent manner by understanding what it means to have to feel ashamed of the
personally develop a country that you are from. These people where put in internment camps because of what they
deeper conceptual were on the outside, not who they were in the inside. They were being judged for something that
knowledge for
understanding
was out of their control. Especially for people like Jeannie. She was born in American and raised in
yourself and others America. She didnt know anything other than who she was and the person that she had grown up
in a culturally to be in this country. She was ripped from her heritage of what she knew because of something
competent manner? that was out of her control, because of how she looked on the outside rather than who she was in
the inside.
How has this study This study has helped me see that people are not always what they seem. There are many people
helped move you that live in many different places. They should not be judged for who they are based on the color
from novice to the of their skin and what they look like. They should be understood for who they are in the inside and
expert /professional who they project themselves to be. It is important for people to get to know each other better than
level as a sojourner?
what is on the surface and get to know the person inside.
Attach any additional Clips of Manzanar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=471ZcZ1RiAA
pictures, video clips, Interview with Jeanne Houston: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygbPHUosbdI
web links or
resources that you
found that would
support the content
of this book.