About
Famous for her 1973 memoir Farewell to Manzanar, which described her time as a prisoner of a World War II-era internment camp for Japanese Americans, Houston. She also became notable for her later works Beyond Manzanar and Other Views of Asian-American Womanhood (1985) and Don't Cry, It's Only Thunder (1984).
Before Fame
After graduating from Long Beach Polytechnic High School, she entered the journalism and sociology programs at San Jose State University.
Trivia
In 2002, her bestselling autobiographical work became part of the curriculum at close to 9,000 California schools.
Family Life
The youngest of ten children, she was born in Inglewood, California to Japanese immigrants Ko and Misa Wakatsuki. Her marriage to her Farewell to Manzanar co-author, James D. Houston, produced children: Joshua, Corinne, and Gabrielle.
Associated With
The 1976 television movie adaptation of her memoir stars Japanese American actor Yuki Shimoda.
