Reviews (6)

The Sei Shonogon antipode
Lady Sharashina lived a life of dreamy lament. It is a wonder if someone of her nature could ever be happy with what the real world could offer. Her brief moments of happiness are gained in dreams and fantasy, or tempting/dreaming the impossible, the forbidden fruit. The real world, despite living a life of relative privilege, was a never ending experience of pain to her. She took seeing the ephemeral (wabi sabi/mono no aware) aspects of life to heiights of seeing the eternal in the ephemeral the great in the small, which can be beautiful (as with Basho), but Lady Sharshina seems too idealistic and self obsessed which makes it something pitiful in the end. The real world is one of duty and lament: "veni, vedi, vici" would not be her epitaph; more like perpetual nostaligic anguish and shyness. Her regrets seem misguided.

Lady Sharashina avoided popular attractions, as opposed to her near contemporary Sei Shonagon, in gThe Pillow Bookh, who endeavored to be the attraction. Some of the scenes are unforgetable and the book is a classic for what it is: the memoirs of a dreamer. The book has one of the most poignent poetic conundrum sort of endings I can recall.

The translation failed to capture all of the poems, which is to be expected; but those that were captured are brilliant.

The contrast between Sei Shonagon and Lady Sharshina is one of the beauties of these books and poses an interesting psychological comparison.

Lyrical counterpoint to Sei Shonagon
Short, poignant and redolent of a very individual experience of life in Heian Japan, the memoirs of 'Lady Sarashina' provide a fascinating glimpse of a woman's life slightly outside of the most exalted circles of eleventh-century life. This is a highly idiosyncratic portrait of its time, concentrating on episodes important to Sarashina herself (dreams, pilgrimages, poetic exchanges) rather than to the politically-active class as a whole. The sense of chronology is vague, the structure dictated more by mood pieces and observations than straightforward diary-keeping.

As such, this probably isn't the place to start with medieval Japanese writing, but something to try after Sei Shonagon (an altogether more ebullient and resilient character, who _is_ at the centre of things) and Lady Murasaki. Sarashina is too withdrawn to involve herself in the customary court intrigues and liaisons, and too low-status to have much impact. Instead, she occupies herself with the fantastical world of Genji and other "Tales". Her memoirs are also notable for their account of a journey through the provinces to the capital, and for highly-praised poetry that unfortunately doesn't translate particularly well.

Ivan Morris' concise introduction sets the work in its context and discusses its significance and textual history; line drawings and unobtrusive notes further build our picture of Sarashina's world. A worthwhile purchase.

THE BRIDGE NEVER GETS CROSSED
As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams is a truly nonwestern work. In its tone, its narrative devices, and in the world it presents, this is a work that is clearly "other" from traditional Western fare. While sharing the same structural shell as the Western novel, its story is largely outside the limits of Western expectation.

At its heart, As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams is a song sung in retrospect by Lady Sarashina. This is a song of denied dreams that always just barely seem to fail.

The one constant of the narrative is sadness. Whether Sarashina's life was really so melancholy or whether she wrote this looking back through the lens of bitterness is speculation. Yet the sadness is palpable. Sadness hovers over each scene. When happiness breaks in, it is an unexpected and short-lived guest.

The narrative covers most of Sarashina's life. It starts in her childhood and leads up to her later years. She lives a very sheltered life in her father's house. So much so that it, in some ways, could be described in non-religious terms as a cloister. All the young Sarashina has to occupy her time is her love of tales and the hope of a more fulfilling future.

The genesis of Sarashina's great unhappiness is the glimpse she gets of the greater life around her--a life that she is never capable of partaking in. In all her travels she is never able to break free from her own internal solitude. She will not allow herself to live in anything more than a "dream."

For me, the extremely episodic nature of the book made it hard to get deeply involved as a reader. There were long spaces in this book where the author dwelt on seemingly unimportant matters. There are also quite a few brief sections where the author skips ahead a number of years. This made things difficult for me to follow on a number of occasions.

The one part of the book that I enjoyed was the poetry. I greatly enjoyed the poem that the author's father had his daughter compose to send to his ex-wife. The moment was both touching and insightful into their relationship.

The native Japanese worldview was wholly foreign to me. All the pilgrimages, priests, nuns, and what I would term "superstitions" struck me as convoluted and semi-capricious. The mother's taking of vows while still living within the house, yet being separated from the household, was a truly odd moment.

Though sometimes hopeful, Sarashina has no true hope. In its place Sarashina resigns herself to the idea that all the bad things happening to her are the result of Karma.

I have a hard time swallowing this much hopelessness. There is an endless sense of wallowing about As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams. I wanted to talk to Sarashina--to tell her that no matter how deep the darkness, it only takes one point of light to dispel it.

While this book may have value in being representative of the Japanese Literature of its day, it is not something I would choose to read again. The problem with As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams is that no one ever crosses the stinking bridge.

Written In A Time Of Sorrow
The Sarashina Nikki was written by a Lady depressed over the death of her husband and anxious about the future of her children. As grieving people often do she tries to find a reason for her affliction and decides she is being punished for prefering frivolous literature to serious religious study. Lady Sarashina was apparently not only an enthusiastic reader of romances, such as the Tale of Genji, but authored tales of her own though none have survived. How she wasted her youth reading and writing fictions is the theme of her retrospective memoir. I like to think the Nikki reflects a passing mood, that Sarashina eventually recovered from her losses and took a more balanced view her past life and involvement with literature.

Looking back, and looking forward.
This work was likely written as a warning: don't get caught up in fiction! Almost like a Madam Bovarie from 800 years ago, the author looks back over her own life, remembering the ups and downs fondly while carrying overtones of Buddhist thought. Enchanted by the Tale of Genji and other popular fiction of the time, her youth was spent longing to be able to go to the capitol (Kyoto today) so she could lay her hands on the volumes upon volumes of novels. Her father's work takes him back there briefly, and the author wraps herself in constant reading... at the expense of Buddhist study. Her own "Prince Genji" even appears, but this love ends and she herself is swept along to another destiny. Written in retrospect, this makes a lovely book to read along side both fiction and non-fiction alike. Also, the brightness of the naration will no doubt keep one's attention focused while the eventual "message" seeps through. This translation has few problems, but it might be interesting to see what someone else can do with this well-loved classic. ... Read more

Book Description

Kiku and Yoshi can't wait to visit their grandfather, Japan's most famous artist, Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849).Their adventure begins in the bustling streets of Edo (now known as Tokyo), where they encounter hard-working fishermen and traders, dancers and dignitaries, servants and important guests of the Emperor.Arriving at their grandfather's, they see works by the old artist, who tells them exciting tales of his travels to the far away cities of Kyoto and Osaka. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Japanese Atrocities at Their Worst
This is an amazing report of an American soldier held captive by the Japaese in the Phippines and the island of Japan itself for three and one-half years after his capture in World War II.
How he could remember the details of brutal beatings, starvation and resulting illnesses is almost beyond belief. His experiences with fellow prisoners runs the gamut from the highest heroism to utter selfishness. Every day he looked forward to freedom, only to be repeatedly disappointed until that memorable day when he met the invading U.S. forces and he knew that he was free ,atlast! The dscription of his home coming is heart wrenching as it was for all of us on our return. This book's contents are enough to make almost anyone swear to never buy another Japanese produced article.

met h

excellent, tears you to the heart
This account is the best I've read of many books on the POWs of the Japanese. It puts the reader in the gruesome reality of the Bataan Death March and all that followed in Camp O'Donnell and the hellships. The lesson learned is one of survival through almost unsurmountable horrors. Anyone who reads this account will have nothing to complain about. Judy Garofano (garofano@mail.idt.net), Queens, NY

A first-rate, inspiring chronicle of survival.
The author, Manny Lawton, was among the small percentage of survivors of the Bataan Death March. He tells the story not just of the last days before the Japanese takeover of Corregidor and of the walk itself, but also of the years of tribulations that the remaining survivors somehow endured. The book is an outstanding account of the little-known story about what took place subsequent the Death March, and is a tribute to the human spirit. ... Read more

Book Description

While Rosie the Riveter and millions of American women fought World War II on the home front, other women witnessed the war firsthand. Many of them were overtaken by Japan's military offensive in the South Pacific and subsequently held captive. Theresa Kaminski chronicles their harrowing experiences in this moving testament of women in wartime.

Although most of us are familiar with accounts of POWs, few realize that the Japanese imprisoned thousands of American civilian women in the Philippines during World War II. They were businessmen's wives and career girls, missionaries and teachers, nurses and mothers-and some were even spies. Many had grown accustomed to the good life in a colonial society, but after the Japanese invaded they had to learn to fend for themselves. Prisoners in Paradise is the most complete look at the experiences of these heroic women.

Theresa Kaminski takes readers inside the internment camps to show how these women coped and how the experience changed them. Some took on leadership roles for the first time in their lives, while many found themselves doing work they had previously left to servants. They learned to stretch both the boundaries of acceptable behavior for women and the norms of motherhood as they struggled to meet the challenge of captivity. They fought to keep their families together, adjusting to changes in work habits and private lives under the watchful eye of their Japanese captors. They also kept up their morale by diverting themselves with fashion--however impromptu it might have been.

While most civilian women were interned, others fled into the hills or adopted new identities to avoid captivity, relying on neighbors and former servants for survival. Kaminski shares their stories as well, such as that of an intelligence agent who escaped the Japanese to fight with--and serve as mother to--a band of Filipino guerrillas, and a spy known as "High Pockets" who got her nickname by smuggling documents in her brassiere.

Prisoners in Paradise is the product of exceptionally wide-ranging research, drawing on interviews, letters, and diaries of internees. It shows how women under duress negotiated issues of gender and national identity in their struggle to survive, bolstered by their belief in what it meant to be an American woman. By sharing these little-known stories of perseverance and survival, Kaminski draws new profiles of courage that can inspire us half a century later. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Not another book about the horrors of war but...
...one of hope and survival. The women come to life as their story is told of how they went from a life of leisure with servants to do the work for them to doing everything by themselves with little help from their men. Ms Kaminsky does an excellent job telling these women's story and her book is a great addition to my bookshelves.

Thought-provoking and page-turning
What does it take to survive? What does it cost? This brilliant, fearless, absolutely page-turning book examines the plight of American women caught in the camps. The women in this book burst alive on the page with stories you just can't forget. Just beautifully written! Can't wait to read more from the very talented Kaminski.

What makes a woman a "good" woman?
A good book informs and entertains. A great book informs, entertains and forces us to ask questions. Kaminski's book cannot be read without introspection. As she details a horrifying scenario, military detention of women and children on foreign soil, and delves into how that situation affected women's roles, the reader is compelled to ask, "What if this happened to me?"

Is it better to keep one's head held high or better to feed your child? Is it better to uphold the vestiges of social class and civilization or is it better to put a roof over your children's heads? Over and over, Kaminski forces the reader to wonder, "What would I do in a similar situation?"

Kaminiski's depth of research and understanding of the topic shines on every page. These heroic women, until now so disregarded by history, owe her a great debt.

For any person who marvels at the power of roles to dictate worthiness, this book is a must read. I wish we'd had this book when I attended women's studies classes. Thank you, Dr. Kaminski, for bringing this unknown part of history to light. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Intelligent Writing
Neutral War is an undetached, unsympathtic, in your face story of the relationship between two men of differing cultures in the years before and during World War II.While I found the pace rather slow and the author seemed entrenched in conveying every fact he discovered it still didn't dispell the honesty, and truth which drips from every word.
While I would have sincerly liked to have read more of the (fictional??) relationship between the Swedish narrator and Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto since this clash of cultures was intelligent and at times humorous, Gold seems bent on pressing us with facts, facts, and more facts.

Is there something wrong with this...not in my book.It was an inspiring and candid look at the protocol of war.It practically proves the adage 'those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it.'

Neutral War is 'very' much a book for OUR times and should not be overlooked for thinner, fluffier, more cozy reads. ... Read more

Book Description

In this close look at the first relocation camp built for Japanese evacuees living on the West Coast after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, social historian Michael Cooper makes extensive use of the actual words—from diaries, journals, memoirs, and news accounts—of the people who were held behind barbed wire in the high California desert. Many were American citizens who felt betrayed by their country. They had to leave their jobs, their homes, and their friends and go live in crowded barracks, eat in noisy mess halls, and do without supplies or books for work or schooling. They showed remarkable bravery and resilience as they tried to lead normal lives, starting their own schools, playing baseball, attending Saturday night dances, and publishing their own newspaper. Archival photographs, some by Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange, augment the informative text. Manzanar is now a National Historic Site and hosts an annual pilgrimage that is attended by former internees, their families, and friends. Endnotes, Internet resources, index. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great!!!
I recently began a paper dealing with a civil rights topic. While researching, I became interested in the Japanese internment of the 1940's. Although much can be learned about the internment from articles and other books, the pictures in this book are "worth 1,000 words." They photographs give a clear understanding of what life in the camps must have been like. I highly reccomend this book to history buffs, photography buffs, and those interested in civil rights issues.

Enjoy ... Read more

Book Description

Sgt. James Donovan Gautier Jr. distinguished himself by meritorious service while engaged in ground combat against an enemy of the United States in defense of the Philippine Islands from January 2, 1942 to September 12, 1945.Displaying magnificent courage and devotion to duty, Sgt. Gautier inflicted heavy losses while engaging an enemy force of superior size and weaponry.

Sgt. Gautier displayed undaunted valor, not only in the engagement of the enemy in combat, but in his conduct under impossible and unbearable conditions while being held as a prisoner of war from April 9, 1942 to September 12, 1945.This book tells the story of how one man's heroic actions and unselfish dedication to duty have reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent, moving, interesting, firstperson story
Sgt. Gautier was given some unusual assignments while a prisoner of the Japanese, and he was fortunate to have survived the Death March, prison camp and the voyage to Japan. He gives a gripping account of his experiences, and also provides us insight into the lives of the PoWs after their returned to the States.

This is a good book. Anyone interested in learning what it was like to be a prisoner of war under the Japanese will find it intriguing.

How true that this books is and how real it was.
This book was one that out of all of the books about the Death March of Bataan, was the most vived.This man came to my school and old us how real that this war that most people just talk about, was so real! This man went through so much and survived it and then went through it again, just to tell people about it. I think that it was a very honorable thing to do. ... Read more

Book Description

Surviving the sixteen day Battle of Wake Island was just the beginning of a long struggle to remain alive for the civilian contractors and military men who were now prisoners of the Japanese. With more guns than men, the Marines on Wake welcomed any of the civilian contractors who would man a gun to aid them. Jim Allen was one of those who volunteered to train and fight along side the Marines of Battery E.

When Wake Island fell to the Japanese, Jim was captured. His main worry at first was that he would be shot by his captors for his "guerilla" activities. That worry passed after a time only to be replaced by many others during his 1,354 days as a POW in China, Korea, and Japan. By using their carpentry skills, Jim and other skilled contractors were able to make their horrendous life a bit easier in the Shanghai POW camp where the Wake POWs were first taken. Ingenuity, innovation, and plain old sticky fingers kept barracks roofs from leaking and secret radios hidden. Morale was maintained with the music from a home-made guitar fashioned out of bits and pieces "found" around the camp.

As the Pacific war drew to a close, the Shanghai POWs found themselves in Niigata, Japan, hoping the rumors of annihilation as the Allies drew nearer would not come true. Jim Allen was one of the Wake Island POWs who survived the years of hell. Once back on U. S. soil, he was hoping to put the war behind him. But that was not to be. Jim and other Wake civilian POWs would find their lives changed simply by being ex-POWs and facing a future that would hold many skirmishes in their long battle for recognition and justice. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Excellent
This is a very detailed and educational story. It's great to have a personal account to better understand the sometimes forgotten history of Japanese POW's during WWII.

enlightening
It's interesting to see how a prisoner of war can recall with such detail, even though they may not have spoken of the ordeal in years...Magnino does a wonderful job of preserving Jim's memories... Especially interesting to those who know of Pearl Harbor, but not of other POWs and battles.

A compelling, true-life account
Jim's Journey: A Wake Island Civilian POW's Story is the compelling, true-life account of James A. Allen and his survival of 1,354 days of imprisonment as a civilian prisoner of war after being captured by the Imperial Japanese navy in December 1941 when the Marine garrison on Wake Island was finally overwhelmed. Jim was held in Japanese POW camps in China, Korea, and Japan. In addition to his eye-witness account of life as a POW, Jim's Journey also relates what happened to him when he was finally liberated and returned to America. It would be thirty-seven years before the U.S. government would official recognize that Jim and other eligible civilian POWs for their contributions to the dramatic defense of Wake Island against insurmountable hostile forces. Jim's Journey is a welcome and much appreciated contribution to the history of POW experiences arising from World War II in the Pacific Theater.

This "Journey" is an inspiration!
This is the story of a civilian POW contracted to help build a naval air base on Wake Island shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor.It is a thoroughly researched and compelling account of a young man whose early life and influences shaped him in ways that would only be beneficial to his efforts to survive terrible hardhips later.After playing a vital role as a civilian defender of Wake Island, Jim spent more than four years in various POW camps.On many occasions, he was a hairs breadth away from death, but his persistent courage and ingenuity sustained him.He used his intuitive understanding of Japanese culture to outwit the enemy in ways that required them to see things his way and thus spare his life.Japanese pride dictated that they give in to prisoners' demands at times in order to "save face". Jim's keen intelligence and resourcefulness kept him alert at all times as he constantly sought ways to help himself and his fellow prisoners to stay alive.
This book is a remarkable memoir, vivid and graphic, sometimes uncomfortably so, in its portrayal of the horrific experiences of the POWs and their unflinching will to survive.It is a living testimony to the freedom of the American spirit and should inspire great respect for all those men, whether military or civilian, who did not shrink from the responsibility of defending this country in a dark time of history. Some of these heroes,like Jim, were fortunate enough to live to tell us about it.

What a true patriot is all about!
God Bless Jim and all his Wake Island buddies. There is a place already set aside in heaven for all of you. ... Read more

Book Description

[A] dramatic, affecting account....-- ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Tokyo Rose Case, a Cautionary Note for Today
Six months ago I was traveling along the coast of Washington, when I woke up to the terrible TV scenes of fire and death and collapsing buildings. I wrote my first thoughts in my diary: "As events unfold, I worry of our response. Will internal security become Gestapo like? Will we isolate ourselves? What about our civil rights or the rights of dark guys with beards and robes?" To know what could happen, we only needed to look back to the internment of Japanese-Americans or the case of "Tokyo Rose" (Iva Toguri).

If you are interested in World War II history or the excesses of patriotism, this is a book you should read and keep in your library. Mr. Howe has done a through job gathering the events and as a bonus describes the world of living in an enemy's country. I also value the picture Howe paints of life as a POW in Japan. It's nice that he has humanized some of the Japanese military, even to the point of letting us see that there were good and bad on both sides. Consider, for example, the support Iva received from the fighting GI's and compare it to the pettiness of the (mostly) non-combatant government agents.

Howe's writing style could have been more readable and there were a few errors of fact. (p. 244 Doolittle's first raid was in 1942 and not two years later.) These did not detract excessively.

Our challenge today as Americans is to avoid another case of "Tokyo Rose".

A GOOD HISTORICAL ACCOUNT, BUT LACKS EXCITEMENT
I had expected that the author would reveal a lot of what Tokyo Rose actually broadcast and, especially, the effect it had or was expected to have on our troops in the Pacific War. Plus, obviously, some followup on how she was eventually arrested in the U.S., etc. This text is a very good historical and legal account about Tokyo Rose (the one chosen for this book), her biography, her time in Japan, how she got involved, how she was arrested in the U.S. and so on, but the narrative is so detailed that it becomes boring and tends to lose the general reader's interest. On the other hand, if you are interested in Tokyo Rose's life and personal problems, and demand a lot of very detailed and specific biographical and prosecutorial information, this is the book for you. Sorry, not what I was looking for... ... Read more

Book Description

unspeakable crimes.
undeniable proof.
unattainable justice.

"A gripping account of one of the darkest secrets of World War II: the systematic torture and vivisection of American pilots by Japanese scientists for biological warfare research. Almost sixty years after the fact, revisionists continue to deny these horrors, but The Fallen provides indisputable evidence that Japan had indeed subjected American POWs to live medical experiments–such as mutilating their organs, draining their blood, and pumping seawater into their veins. The postwar decision by the U.S. government to protect Japan’s Josef Mengele—like criminals is almost as shocking as the atrocities themselves."
–Iris Chang, the New York Times bestselling author of The Rape of Nanking and The Chinese in America

"A riveting and horrifying tale. Landas’s meticulous and imaginative detective work reconstructs a long-buried investigation that implicates not just a few rogue soldiers but Japanese scientists, professors, and politicians, abetted by an American cover-up at the highest levels. An important book that fills a gap in the story of World War II. The best part of the story is the courage of a lone American flier, loyal to his comrades even in the face of torture, whose ordeal unfolds with vivid immediacy."
–Philip Gerard, author of Secret Soldiers ... Read more

Book Description

First published in Japanese in San Francisco in 1931, The Four Immigrants Manga is a documentary comic book and the author's chronicle of his immigrant experiences in the United States.Arriving in 1904, Henry and his three pals work as houseboys, labor in the fields, and are shaken by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.They also suffer considerable discrimination.Drawn in the comic-book style of George McManus's clasic "Bringing Up Father," this heartfelt tale is an accurate depiction of early Asian-American struggles and a document of great historical interest. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Very Rare Glimpse
Henry Kiyama created this terrific book in the 1930's, chronicling the lives of four young Japanese immigrants and their struggle to find work and acceptance in San Francisco at the turn of the century. It was unearthed and translated into English, giving us all the rare privelege of a glimpse into the immigrant experience of that era. Drawn in a simple and lighthearted style and told with insight and depth, Kiyama, along with the rising popularity of Japanese Anime and Manga, reinforces the notion that comics are not just for kids anymore. A great read for a comic lover, a hyphenated-American or anyone interested in the multihued experience of our country.

Historically important
If you're not used to reading comics, this will seem rough and not particularly funny. Readers more familiar with the form will recognize that this book is more subtle and better crafted than your typical comic.

It's of special interest to Japanese Americans and others interested in the immigrant experience in the USA. ... Read more

Book Description

This critically acclaimed autobiography was an instant bestseller in Japan, where it has gone through more than forty printings since its first publication. Cultural critic, literary historian, novelist, poet, and physician, Kato Shuichi reconstructs his dramatic spiritual and in-tellectual journey from the militarist era of prewar Japan to the dynamic postwar landscapes of Japan and Europe. This fluid translation of A Sheep's Song captures Kato's unique voice and brings his insightful interpretation of modern Japan and its tumultuous relations with the outside world to English-speaking readers for the first time.

Kato describes his youthful interest in the natural sciences as well as in Japanese and Western literatures--from the Man'yoshu to Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Baudelaire, Valery, and Proust. Turning to the rise of Japanese fascism in the late 1930s, he recalls his rebellion against the jingoistic political atmosphere of the time. The chapters on the war and its aftermath include experiences of Hiroshima shortly after the bombing and the often tragicomic encounters between the defeated Japanese nation and the American Occupation forces. Throughout, memories of his wide-ranging literary career and broad experiences in Europe as a student, traveler, and cultural observer are punctuated by his unique perspectives on the relation between imagination, art, and politics.

A postscript written especially for the English-language edition discusses the Vietnam War, the subsequent transformation of Japan, the cultures and societies of Europe, the United States, and China, and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

"No book in English so brilliantly and elegantly depicts what the post-war epoch felt like for the social and the literary activist." --Irwin Scheiner, most recently author of The Japanese Village: Imagined, Real, Contested ... Read more

Reviews (3)

An interesting view
I found this autobiograhpy to be an interesting view into the life struggles and journey of Kato Shuichi.I feel the translation was done quite well and was deeply moved by the details and insight the author put into his autobiography.

Surprisingly flat
I found this book surprisingly flat.It was an enjoyable enough read, but Kato seems to be more interested in dropping names than building stories.Chang's copious footnotes demonstrate this aptly -- she adds information on writers that you never "hear" from again.I would have enjoyed hearing more story-building details from him about his friends, life abroad and in Japan, career, marriage.

An interesting perspective
I would have given 'A Sheep's Song' five stars if I hadn't expected something much different. But what I got was refreshing and at times philosophically profound. It is difficult to recommend the autobiography of a person you have probably never heard of, and even more difficult because I expected a concise look at Japan over the last seventy years through the eyes of one of that country's great thinkers. Little did I know how much he yearned to be away from Japan, if for no other reason, to learn to appreciate it more through his absence. What Shuichi Kato provides is an in depth look into his reasoning for wanting to be away from Japan and a detailed account of his life and in the process gives the reader a taste of Japan's contemporary history and the adventures of a Japanese abroad throughout Europe. Of particular interest is Kato's perspective on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This section is worth reading the whole book for. While not for everyone, 'A Sheep's Song' is recommended for those looking for a world perspective that is intriguing and entertaining. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A must read for Fire Personnel and Business owners
I am presently going through the Fire Education system in California and my parents bought me this book as a present. After reading the detail of the book I felt as if I was truely an occupant of the Supper Club. Ron and Wayne did a great job depicting the events of the fire. The history of the building was also of interest in terms of Fire Prevention. It protrayed the epitome of American business owners trying to save a few bucks with disregard for safety and authorities turning their backs to blantant violations to lessen tensions between themselves and a very visible business. Maybe we can all learn from this detailed story so the victims lives won't have been lost in vain.

It has given me some history about how my in-laws had died.
I had chills from just looking at the cover. My mother and father-in-law both parished in that fire. My husband was just five years old in 1977. This book has been the only accurate information that has been given to us. I feel that the book was heart-wrenching and very compelling. If someone had taken the time and the expense to fix the problems at the Supper Club my daughter would know her grandparents. I want to thank Mr. Dammert for having the courage to bring back all of the memories from that night. I hope that many facility owners read this compelling book and learn from the mistakes that were made at the Beverly Hills Supper Club. Thank you again.

In An Age of Glitz and Glamour!
This live account of a terrible story should serve to remind us why we have inspections and why politicians need to stay out of
the inspector's way! I bought my copy direct from the author and he signed it for me. To meet him and know his experience is a life changing event

from china marine to jap pow
being a 43 year old, and not yet born durring this period of history, I found that the life of this gentleman was exremely interesting to say the least. The personal letters home where by themselves worth reading this fine book. How fortunate for us all that he survived, and through his account of his experience, we can learn of a time that young men and women of his generation, stepped up and saved this country, and the world, from tryany.

In memory of my 3rd grade Teacher - Mrs Paula Neill
The memeory of my 3rd grade teacher, Mrs Paula Neill, inspired me to research this tradegy and, in the end, find and read this book. I can still remember the day that I found out she had died.....i was only 8 years old at the time, a 3rd grader at Taylor Mill Elementary, and it really affected me. She was one of the most compassionate and dedicated teachers I have ever known. She made me realize that there was nothing out of my reach nor anthing that I couldn't achieve if I just put my mind to it. Today I credit her with my success.... ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Akemi Kikumura: Through Harsh Winters
This is an excellent book! ... Read more

Book Description

Kazuko Kuramoto was born and raised in Dairen, Manchuria, in 1927, at the peak of Japanese expansionism in Asia. Dairen (Port Arthur) was an important colonial outpost on the Liaotung Peninsula; the train lines established by Russia and taken over by the Japanese, ended there. When Kuramoto's grandfather arrived in Dairen as a member of the Japanese police force shortly after the end of the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, the family's belief in Japanese supremacy and its "divine" mission to "save" Asia from Western imperialists was firmly in place. As a third-generation colonist, the seventeen-year-old Kuramoto readily joined the Red Cross Nurse Corps in 1944 to aid in the war effort and in her country's sacred cause.A year later, her family listened to the emperor's radio broadcast ". . . we shall have to endure the unendurable, to suffer the insufferable . . . unconditional surrender."

Manchurian Legacy is the story of the family's life in Dairen, their survival as a forgotten people during the battle to reclaim Manchuria waged by Russia, China, and Korea, and their subsequent repatriation to a devastated Japan. Kuramoto describes a culture based on the unthinking oppression of the colonized by the colonizer. And, because Manchuria was, in essence, a Japanese frontier, the Kuramotos lived a freer and more luxurious life than they would have in Japan-one relatively unscathed by the war until after the surrender.

As a commentator Kuramoto explores her culture both from the inside, subjectively, and from the outside, objectively. Her memoirs describe her coming of age in a colonial society, her family's experiences in war-torn Manchuria, and her "homecoming" to Japan-where she had never been-just as Japan is engaged in its own cultural upheaval. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Moving, True Story
Frank Grady was a personal friend of my fathers. Maybe because I grew up knowing him, the story made more of an impression on me than it would have normally. But whatever it is, it was a moving story about the resiliency of the human spirit. It is also about the humor, obstinacy and stubbornness; which contributes to that resiliency. Mr. Grady and others like him were true heros. It was an honor to have known him and it is an honor to know more about him through his book. ... Read more