Book Description

Kaworu (Carl) Nomura’s autobiography is an unforgettable story of growing up in the United States as a Japanese-American. From a fishing cannery in Long Beach, CA in the twenties to the Great Depression in the thirties, from high school’s Pomp and Circumstance to Manzanar’s Internment Center during WWII, and from the University of Minnesota in the fifties to Honeywell Corporation, Sleeping on Potatoes is a wonderfully evocative account of Nomura’s life and times. It is the story of adversity and courage, of the poignancy of love and the awkwardness of sex, of family bonds and family tensions and the rise to the corporate tower. ... Read more

Book Description

Winner, SABR’s Robert Peterson Award for increasing public awareness of Negro League baseball.

Baseball is played in all corners of the world, so it is no surprise to learn that some of the greatest hardballers of all time never played on a U.S. major league diamond. Who knows what major league records would have been shattered had Sadaharu Oh of Japan, Josh Gibson of the Negro Leagues, Martin Dihigo of Cuba, Francisco Coimbre of Puerto Rico and Hector Espino of Mexico played in the United States.

This work is a survey of the greatest baseball players who never played in the U.S. major leagues. The greatest players from the various professional leagues outside organized baseball in the United States are reviewed, and all-star teams are selected for each league. Finally, the author selects an "all-world all-star team" from the individual all-star teams from Japan, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and the Negro Leagues. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Great Predictor
Another vote for a book that accurately predicts what the greatest baseball players from around the world would have hit if they had had a chance to play in the major leagues. How accurate is the prediction? Well, at least one of these baseball legends is still active. Ichiro, the Seattle Mariner's Japanese sensation, was predicted to hit .335, with 31 doubles, 10 triples, and 8 home runs. His actual numbers for his first 550 at-bats, were .342, 31-8-6. That's uncanny predicting. So, if you would like to know what Josh Gibson, Shigeo Nagashima, or Cristobal Torriente would have hit in the major leagues, and how many home runs they would have hit, this book will tell you. Outstanding.

The Worlds Greatest Baseball Players
This book is a landmark. It is the first book that discusses the greatest baseball players who never played in the major leagues. They played out their careers in the Negro Leagues, and in many other leagues around the world. One of the most intriguing things about the book is the statistical analysis that allows the reader to see how a player from Japan or Cuba might perform in the major leagues. The book predicted, more than one year ago, how Ichiro would do in the major leagues - and its right on the money! It also predicts how the other great professional baseball players around the world would have performed in the major leagues had they had the opportunity, players like Francisco Coimbre, Sadaharu Oh, Martin Dihigo, Josh Gibson, and dozens more. It's a fascinating educational experience, one that will surprise and shock you. If you want to become a true baseball expert, you have to read this book. ... Read more

Book Description

The first complete English Language edition of Hyoson Kiryaku, the offical autobiographical account of John Manjiro's historic voyage to the United States as told to the officials of the Shogunate in 1852. ... Read more

Book Description

Determined to be a U.S. Marine Corps officer, Bruce Yamashita enrolled in Officer Candidate School, where he was the target of persistent racial harassment by officers and staff. After enduring nine weeks of emotional and physical abuse, Yamashita was "disenrolled" in April 1989--kicked out of the Marine Corps because of the color of his skin. Fighting Tradition is Yamashita's own story of his courageous struggle to expose a pattern of racial discrimination against minorities that has existed at various levels of the Corps. With the support of a broad coalition of community and civil rights organizations, the Hawai'i-born law school graduate fought a five-year-long legal, political, and media battle against the military establishment that ended in his commissioning as a captain and the revision of Marine Corps policies and procedures. Fighting Tradition is not only a moving story of personal sacrifice and vision, but contributes also both directly and indirectly to our understanding of the complexities of institutional racism in a politically conservative, demographically shifting society. It is a unique window into the dynamics of race, government, and the law and a stirring reminder of the importance of political mobilization by the individual to achieve justice.

"A valuable account of one person's fight against racial profiling and the inexcusable damage to civil liberties and self-worth that result from it." --- Dennis Ogawa, University of Hawai'i ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The best True Life book I have ever read
This book, this author is an inspiration to life itself ! I found, once I started, I could NOT put the book down, and then attended one of her talks and the finer details that came through .. truly amazing, inspiring and awesome ! As you read, YOU are in Changi, YOU are there, feeling every emotion that was felt by the author, crying, laughing .. this is the BEST book I have ever read and I class it up in the levels of the Diary of Anne Frank and more ! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Amazing clarity and pathos from a self-educated woman
I originally had to read this book for a Japanese History class, and found it incredible. In the 1930's it was standard practice to take a written confession from prisoners before execution, but this one stood out and has survived to the present day for its insight and honesty. This is a person who, after unthinkable suffering acheived not only complete self-realization but the ability to communicate it to others. It's also facinating because, despite so much spilt ink about understanding the conservative Japanese psyche, this is one of the only non-fiction works which effectively and honestly tackles communal mentality and social hierarcy without over-complicating the issue. But beyond that, it is an incredible story not unlike a true-to-life Japanese version of Ellison's Invisible Man. It is a crime that this book is not well known. ... Read more

Book Description

The memoirs of a World War II POW. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A true hero
This is one of those books that makes you wake up everyday and appreciate everything you have, espeically your freedom. Sakakida's inner strength must have been tremendous to stand up to the torture, stress, starvation and disease that he endured. And he still continued to do his duty and send intellegence back to the US forces.

The author presented the material in a good straight forward manner that included other sources to back up and bring context to Sakakida's story. Especially interesting was the subtle nuances of Japanese culture and tradition that brought out how complex their social interaction is. Also that in every nationality there are good soldiers and bad soldiers and kindness and respect can be found even in the worst of circumstances.

I highly recommend this book, a very good read.

Breathtaking, but true
A vivid tale of horrifying torture told by a man who experienced it all. Richard Sakakida was a true hero. For those who love books on survival, war, adventure, or the American spirit. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wonderful war bio
Truly an amazing biography of the allied Philippines General. It is a shame this book is out of print as it provides insight found in few other WWII books. It really should be part of any comprehensive World War Two reference library (personal or public). ... Read more

Book Description

A Healing Family, Kenzaburo Oe's first book since winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, is an intimate portrait of the people closest to him. Above all, it is about his son Hikari.

Hikari was born in 1963 with a growth on his brain so large it made him look as if he had two heads. His parents were told he might never be more than a "human vegetable" requiring constant care; but they took the decision to raise him. Today, despite autism, poor vision, and a tendency to seizures, their son is an established composer with two successful CDs to his credit.

Oe has often written about the sorrows and satisfactions of being the parent of a handicapped child, most memorably in A Personal Matter; but nowhere has his writing been more personal, more buoyant, more revealing than in this non-fiction work. Without diminishing the suffering that Hikari and his family have been through, he celebrates the victories that can be won, especially his son's gift for music--his own "language."

Friends make an appearance along the way--doctors, musicians, other writers--as do the themes that have preoccupied Oe all his life: the rights of the underprivileged; the moral authority of the survivors of the atomic bombing; the mystery of language. But his thoughts keep circling back to his family--to the healing power of the family, and the unwitting courage we can all find in ourselves.

The book is illustrated with sketches of family life painted by his wife. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A book that I would read again later.
My first book by Kenzaburo was Silent Cry.Recently I read A Healing Family and found that I really liked it a lot.Yukari's illustrations were beautiful.This book made me feel closer to Oe's family.It is very heart-warming.

At the time I read it, I was in the process of deciding whether to get my wisdom teeth extracted by a dentist or an oral surgeon.I heard that my face would be bruised and swollen, my jaws unhinged, etc. after the surgery.It was quite unnerving just to think about it.Then I read that Hikari has to make weekly visits to the dentist, and that his epileptic pills make his gum terribly swollen.I felt that I am in a much much better situation than some people.It was a consolation to read this book.

One thing I don't quite like about most of Kenzaburo's books is that he refers to a lot of other European writers and their works, which I find hard to understand.Well, that's just my ignorance.

Superb and touching portrait of a family.
Kenzaburo Oe, the Japanese novelist who won the 1994 Nobel Prize for Literature, was 28 when his son, Hikari, was born.This event was the most important in Oe's life.Born with a herniated brain, Hikari has needed almost constant care since birth."A Healing Family" is Oe's first non-fiction attempt to make sense of Hikari's life and the effect it has had on the people around him, most importantly his family.

This beautiful book shows the profound love, affection and pride the Oe family take in Hikari's accomplishments and happiness.From the age of five, Hikari has been obsessed with classical music, and eventually began to compose pieces for piano and violin.Much of "A Healing Family" concerns Oe's attempts to understand his son through music.

"A Healing Family" is a book everyone should read.Finely crafted, perceptive, intelligent and moving, it shows us again that compassion and empathy can make all the difference in the world.

A wonderful, soothing book of love....
Hard to believe that no one else has written a review of this book becauseit is excellent...Oe's manner of dealing with his son's affliction andthe effects it has on his family is truly amazing...His manner is trulyone of love and serenity....Without any reservations, I recommendthisbook to anyone who wants to know more about "heart"... ... Read more

Book Description

A first person account of the infamous Bataan Death March and life in Japanese POW camps during World War Two. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Sadness and Triumph -- Personal
This book is at the top of my favorite's list of "personal narratives" of the appalling treatment of American and Filipino POWs by the Japanese. Lester Tenney is a true product of his time; depression-era, pre-war America. How fate casts him into the hands of the US Army and his Japanese captors is fascinating. Tenney does a fine job keeping his story factual but letting the emotions seep through. One of many such tales, but a good one

Real hell on earth for these men
Can a story be more riveting of the torture of fellow human beings during war? I doubt it. There are countless stories of human torture and death with the Holocaust, but this is a POW story and it's horrible. One of my mother's close friends is married to a Bataan Death March survivor. He tells of them being shipped to Japan and having to bite their own arms and suck the blood in order to hydrate themselves. War is hell, anyone that says different has never read of the suffering of our men or the captives of enemies. Nor have they read of the horrors suffered by survivors of the Holocaust. Read it, learn from it, remember it and fight to NOT LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN.

An excellent book, and the true story of the will to live despite the horrors of hell.

Every American should read this book!
There were times that I read through tears, there were times I read in horror, and there were times when my heart leapt for joy for the author. Every American should buy this book, read it, and then thank our soldiers.

A myth in many areas
While the book makes interesting reading it is not factual. Too many examples of self-aggrandizement and myth telling. Those who have been there recognize the many misleading statements..

great book
The text of this book flowed easily. It is an unbelievable story, that should be required reading for all. ... Read more