No comments about Caged Dragons: An American Pow in W.W.II Japan.

5 comments about Going for the Gold: Apolo Anton Ohno.

1. It's is a review of the story that his fans know well: however, it is a good book to read because it has a little bit of short track history as well as the biography on Apolo. It also has great pictures of Apolo.



2. I bought this book a few months ago, shortly after it was published, mostly because I was obsessed with Apolo. I was a bit disappointed with the author's interpretation of Apolo's life and events. He made Apolo's life sound too much like a story, and I didn't really like the kind of informal language he used. Plus, I could tell that the author didn't really get to know Apolo personally. There wasn't really anything in the book about Apolo that I didn't know. Someone could have very easily gotten all of the information from the internet, newspapers, and magazines.

   There are some great pictures in there, though. But overall, I wouldn't really recommend the book for die-hard Apolo fans (fans who know pretty much every thing about him that has been released to the public), because it's mostly redundant. The book is more well-suited to younger fans, around elementary or middle school age, since the language used by the author can be annoying to older, better educated fans (in high school, college, or beyond).




3. My friend ordered this book, as we are both obsessed Apolo fans. I was a bit dissapointed. It was stuff I already knew, and the way it explained things, it made it seem as if it were aimed at people younger than I am. But it had great photos, and overall it wasn't too bad.



4. I have to say that the real star
   is really steven bradbury. if one
   saw the olympics in the 1000 meters
   , he was the 1 that one. i dont think
   i will buy this book. he came out on the
   jay leno show and the conan obrian show
   and he said absolutely "nothing" about
   the sport if it was growing. one has to actually
   check the websites to find information about
   speedskating, and the history of the sport.

   If you want some one positive in my view, Check
   out Gold Medalist Derek Parra. He was enthusiastic
   in his interviews. and trains at the utah olympic oval.

   i dont recommend this book. for the most part speedskaters
   stay hush hush about things. it is like they just want to
   be the only ones doing it.
   sooner or later, African Americans will dominate this sport.
   it is just a matter of time.




5. This Avon book is for young readers. A fantastic way to introduce the biographical genre to 4th-6th grade reading levels. Well written, inspiring book, interesting subject, easy to follow.

2 comments about Makiguchi the Value Creator: Revolutionary Japanese Educator and Founder of Soka Gakkai.

1. Tsunesaburo Makiguchi is one of Japan's most significant yet perhaps least-recognized educators. His fame as the founder of Soka Gakkai has somewhat eclipsed his reputation as an educator. (Soka Gakkai International is now the largest Buddhist organization in the world with over 12 million members in 128 nations.)

   Mr. Makiguchi had spent a lifetime developing his "value-creating" educational philosophy from his experience as teacher, principal, and teacher of teachers before he founded the Buddhist lay organization.

   A man ahead of his time, Mr. Makiguchi made proposals over sixty years ago that are being made anew today. He was staunchly opposed to the rote memorization that was the backbone of Japanese pedagogy in his day (and largely remains so today), and he called for greater involvement by community members in the education of children.

   The author, himself an educator, gives a clear and vivid picture of the magnitude and revolutionary quality of Mr. Makiguchi's theories. Until this book, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi has gone virtually unrecognized in the West because so little information on non-Western educators has been available in English. This work fills a need at a time when Mr. Makiguchi's impact on education and society is of increasing importance.




2. Tsunesaburo Makiguchi is one of Japan's most significant yet perhaps least-recognized educators. His fame as the founder of Soka Gakkai has somewhat eclipsed his reputation as an educator. (Soka Gakkai International is now the largest Buddhist organization in the world with over 12 million members in 128 nations.)

   Mr. Makiguchi had spent a lifetime developing his "value-creating" educational philosophy from his experience as teacher, principal, and teacher of teachers before he founded the Buddhist lay organization.

   A man ahead of his time, Mr. Makiguchi made proposals over sixty years ago that are being made anew today. He was staunchly opposed to the rote memorization that was the backbone of Japanese pedagogy in his day (and largely remains so today), and he called for greater involvement by community members in the education of children.

   The author, himself an educator, gives a clear and vivid picture of the magnitude and revolutionary quality of Mr. Makiguchi's theories. Until this book, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi has gone virtually unrecognized in the West because so little information on non-Western educators has been available in English. This work fills a need at a time when Mr. Makiguchi's impact on education and society is of increasing importance.

No comments about Prisoner of the Rising Sun: The Lost Diary of Brigadier General Lewis Beebe (Texas A & M University Military History Series).

No comments about Origin Of Ethnography In Japan (Japanese Studies).

2 comments about Girocho: A Gi's Story of Bataan and Beyond.

1. Poncio's story from Bataan to Hirohata, written with total context of the war. An outstanding and complete story.

   Every so often, one discovers a "POW" book that is not only accurate, but well written. Each line, each paragraph, each page weaves a complete tapestry of a Prisoner's life under the Japanese. Add to this, one sees beautifully crafted typography that makes this a classic. Of the more than 1000 books w have on the subject, this book ranks in the top ten.

   Poncio adds depth and meaning to the history of our POWS, especially the guerilla and public support by foreign nationals and Filipinos. His is one of the rare books that even acknowledges the support from the legendary Madame Utinsky, a heroine who deserved the Medal of Honor. No phase of the experience is slighted nor any detail ignored as the writers weave a tapestry of horror endured yet an inspiring and unending battle to survive and sabotage the Japanese war effort. Poncio's description of desperate hunger alone is worth the price of the book. On a scale of one to five stars, Poncio's book deserves seven extra large stars.
   Center for Research
   Allied POWS Under the Japanese




2. Girocho: A Gi's Story of Bataan and Beyond
   
   I had a special interest because John Henry Poncio is/was a relative, but even more because he bore no enmity for the Japanese. That still amazes me. The story of what our troops endured should be required reading in our schools.

1 comments about The Similitude of Blossoms: A Critical Biography of Izumi Koyka (1873-1939), Japanese Novelist and Playwright (Harvard East Asian Monographs).

1. In a day when critical biographies are still suffering under the stigma instigated by Roland Barthes' alleged "death of the author" and all such postmodernish fluff, this work really stands out. Much scholarly care has gone into this study, which thus overflows with Inouye's deep interest and respect for Izumi Kyoka and his work. Never descending into useless detail and anecdote for its own sake, Inouye deals expertly with those aspects of Izumi Kyoka's life that grant us some familiarity with this man's experience and personality in ways that add to our appreciation of his incredibly eccentric and fascinating fictional works. One also gets a very tangible sense of this author's artistic development, as everything from his earliest attempts to his final masterpiece (including some of his flops) are discussed in relation with each other and to the "archetype" as a whole (the latter being Kyoka's overall vision more or less informing his various works and to some degree offering the key to unlocking some of their more obscure passages). After reading this, one wants to go back and re-read "Japanese Gothic Tales" and "In Light of Shadows" again with new insight.

1 comments about Land of the Morning: A Civilian Internee's Poignant Memories of Sunshine and Shadows.

1. Great book about Jean McMurdie's time at an internment camp in the Phillipines during WWII, and her life before and after. A touching, captivating read!!!

No comments about Nomo: The Tornado Who Took America by Storm.

No comments about Sushi with Style.