Thin Wood Walls by David Patneaude

Thin Wood Walls is the story of young Joseph Hanada as his four years in the Japanese Internment Camps over the course of World War II. In the beginning of the book, Joe is a perfectly normal eleven year old who knows nothing of what its like to be different; at least, not until the December 7th attack on Pearl Harbor. After that, life becomes very different for Joe. He begins receiving dirty looks from his classmates, his neighbors begin to avoid him and his family, he gets hateful notes and pictures, and he learns what it means to be hated, yet he doesn't really understand why. Then one day, for no apparent reason, Joe's father is taken during the middle of the night. Any letters they receive from him have been censored and the authorities who took him will not say where he is. A short while later, the remainder of the Hanada family, Joe, his brother Mike, their mother, and grandmother, are told to pack up a suitcase and leave their home. They are taken to Tule Lake Internment Camp and given a barrack to share with another family and it is poorly constructed out of thin wood walls. Throughout the remainder of the book, Joe lives at the camp and endures the hardships that come with living there. Closer to the end of the story, Mike enlists in the army and goes out to fight to prove that he is just as much of an American as everyone else and to get away from the camp.Unfortunately, after a few months, they receive word that Mike was killed. His things are sent back to their barrack and among his brother's possessions, Joe finds a battered copy of The Red Badge of Courage. This and the discovery of Mikes journal that he kept, give him strength to endure the remainder of their stay at Tule Lake. Shortly after Joe turns fourteen, he and his family are released from the camp and are reunited with their father.

I enjoyed this book very much because it was an interesting read and I could easily relate with Joe and some of the other characters. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction or who enjoys a good book that makes you think.