No comments about Conversations with Kazuo Ishiguro (Literary Conversations Series).

3 comments about A Healing Family.

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



2. 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.




3. 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.

No comments about Letters from the 442nd: The World War II Correspondence of a Japanese American Medic (The Scott and Laurie Oki Series in Asian American Studies).

4 comments about Hiroshima Diary: The Journal of a Japanese Physician, August 6-September 30, 1945 (Rev).

1. This book was written by a Japanese doctor who lived in Hiroshima at the time of the bombing. It was interesting reading an account from a survivor. Since it comes from a diary and not just memories, in the beginning the people were not even aware of the nature of the bomb. There is more of a technical medical nature than the average reader would prefer, but it's still worth the read. Most surprising to me was the attitude of the people once they knew what kind of bomb it was.



2. This is an accurate and first-hand account of the bombing of Hiroshima as well as the Japanese attitude during World War II. Although medical in nature, I did not find this book at all overwhelming or too scientifically detailed. It was a quite easy read and allowed me to relate the Japanese citizens of this traumatic period.

   More than a medical documentation, this was a dramatic tale of real people, real situations and real feelings. Surprisingly, it was not depressing and did not leave me riddled with guilt over being an American. I was impressed by the heroic acts of regular Japanese citizens and dumbfounded over their undying allegience to thier plight and country; AT the same time they did not express morosness or hatred twords the incoming American soldiers- instead they welcomed them as notable collegues and almost friends. Despite the disparity of thier people and thier country they were able to see past all feelings of disdain and recogize that the most important thing was family, love and friendship. In addition to it being a beutiful story, I also gained vast knowledge of the effects of radiation and the Atomic bomb-- a seemingly gaurded secreat amoungst American history lessons.




3. I read this book when I was in college, as a chemistry/chemical engineering major. As a young scientist, I was enamored of the sheer power contained with atoms, and was intrigued by atomic/nuclear weapons. My goal was to earn a PhD in nuclear engineering and to pursue a career at a National Laboratory such as Los Alamos or Sandia, where I hoped to work in the development of these sort of weapons.

   This book changed my life. The personal accounts of the doctor in this book had a profound effect on me, both intellectually and emotionally. I was horrified by the effects of this technology. I changed my career plans and now pursue the development of much more helpful materials. I highly recommend reading this book.




4. In "Hiroshima Diary," Dr. Michihiko Hachiya recounts his experience as both a victim of the atomic bomb and a first-responder of aid.
   Hachiya's account graphically depicts the confusing, terrible weeks that followed the atomic attack on Hiroshima. His matter-of -fact interpretation revels how little modern portrayals of the bombing compare with reality.
   The destruction wrought upon the Japanese people at Hiroshima is not to be underestimated, however, Hachiya bares facts that today seem unbelievable in light of the vast devastation.
   For all his suffering and all he has been witness to, Hachiya demonstrates little resentment towards the Americans who completely altered his way of life.
   A profound book that is both troubling in its imagery and beautiful in its language. No less poignant today than so many years ago.
   REVIEW EVERY BOOK YOU READ! AUTHORS DESERVE YOUR OPINIONS!

3 comments about Sunken Red (Twentieth Century Lives).

1. Angoissant, fascinant, d'une beauté et d'une cruauté absolue. Comment la perte d'un être cher fait ressurgir dans la tête de l'auteur ses souvenirs (insoutenables) d'internement dans un camp japonais en Indonésie, et comment de ces souvenirs, l'homme nait au jugement de lui même, de sa famille (des pages magnifiques sur sa mère) et d'autrui. A lire absolument.



2. Ce livre retrace la vie terrible dans les camps de concentration en Indonésie détenue par les Japonais.Cela vous arrache les entrailles;et à chaque page les larmes restent bloquées dans notre gorge devant le courage de cette mère face à ce destin inhumain. Il n'y a pas de partie pris car la cruauté en tant de guerre est partout la même.



3. The book starts where the mother of Jeroen dies. For years he has hated his mother and tries to explain why. This leads him back to the Japanese camp where he and his mom spend several years in torment when he was only 5 years old. In the beginning you think of Jeroen as a strange man, but while the story goes on you start to understand him more and more. The ending will move you to tears. This is my all time favorite book and I can recommend it to anyone.

2 comments about Hokusai: The Man Who Painted a Mountain.

1. This story of a famous Japanese artist (1760-1849) is beautifully written and illustrated. It is a story of rising beyond the limitations of class, of educating oneself through persistence and hard work, and of not being confined by the narrow views of others to reach one's potential. Katsushik Hokusai influenced the work of Western Impressionists artists. This is a book not to be missed if you are studying this prolific artist.



2. Authors are often advised to "write what you know" but when a Japanese artist in the 19th century defied convention to paint the familiar - - the humblest of peasants, 'fragrant' laborers in fish markets - - wealthy patrons would not buy his art. However, Hokusai persisted and his influence has been phenomenal. He used more than thirty other names in his lifetime. The name "Hokusai" was adopted officially when he was 36 years old. It meant *North Star Studio." Hokusai was a Buddhist and believed that the constellations had the power to guide him. His art was his 'North Star' I believe, or his sun or moon? Sometimes we read about persons that we *ache* to have known; Hokusai was such a person for me.
   
   Amazingly he changed his place of residence more than ninety times. Every morning he sketched a *lion-dog* for good luck. It may have had something to do with his longevity; he did not die until he was in his ninetieth year! He painted often the actors in the Noh theatre, and the more plebeian Kabuki plays. Those flamboyant actors leant themselves to portraiture that easily found buyers. His woodcut "The Great Wave off Kanegawa" (reproduced in Ray's book) has probably been "altered" or used for cartoons, t-shirts, etc., as often as Grant Wood's "American Gothic."
   
   Can any of us imagine composing over 30,000 works of art in a lifetime? Hokusai claimed he drew nothing of great note before the age of 70. He called himself *Gakyo Rojin* which translates "old man mad about painting." As mentioned, his 'output' was prodigious. His mother died when he was six years old. She had promised to take him on a pilgrimage to Mt. Fuji, and his fascination for the mountain never waned. Cherry trees bloomed like billowing clouds on the pilgrims' path in his paintings. I would have thought him too busy and/or preoccupied to have a wife but he did, and they had three children.
   
   Ray's own illustrations are strong in outline & rich colors and happily complement the text and Hokusai's own sketches from his *MANGA* shown in the book's endpapers - - All are an excellent introduction to Hokusai's art. It is a children's biography well-designed for all ages to learn from and savor. Reviewer mcHAIKU highly recommends Deborah Kogan Ray's book for generational sharing. Even though our language is not represented by 'pictographs' some children might be inspired to make their own penmanship more legible - - even artistic!

1 comments about East Wind Melts the Ice: A Memoir through the Seasons.

1. I have been looking for a written chronicle of the Asian Monthly Ordinances since I first read a reference to this calendar in Liza Dalby's other book 'The Tale Of Murasaki' (which I might add, is also an excellent read). As an artist whose work is greatly influenced by Asian art, I find the aesthetics of this Farmer's Almanac style calender very inspirational and Liza Dalby's explanation and interpretation of the individual calendar entries weaves a virtual tapestry of beautiful imagery and ceremony along with historical references that help to understand the Asian culture more thoroughly. When I first heard of this book, I ordered it from the Public Library but within the first few pages, realized that borrowing it would not do, I had to buy a copy to add to my own personal library of art and reference books.

3 comments about Four Seasons in Five Senses: Things Worth Savoring.

1. Reading David Masumoto's Epitaph for a Peach changed the way I viewed peaches. While I always liked peaches, Masumoto's passion for peaches elevated them to the top of the fruit ladder. However, I felt that he had reached the end of that genre. How much more was there to say about peaches and peach growing? I was wrong. Four Seasons and Five Senses is a wonderful book which deepens my affection of peaches and enhances my knowledge of the process.

   He has grown so much as a writer since Epitaph for a Peach. He's able to bring to life the love of farming, the excitement about organic peaches, the anxieties about the market and weather, the sensuality of eating luscious fruit, the uncertainty of prices, and the difficulty of the labor. He breaks the stereotype of ignorant farmers. He connects peach farming with such diverse subjects as chamber music, migrant labor, and entomology.

   I did not want the book to end.

   Having tasted Masumoto's peaches also helps for they truly are amazing. I recommend the book to anyone who appreciates good food, wants to know about the experience of organic farming, and is interested in whole process of getting a peach to market.




2. Reading David Masumoto's Epitaph for a Peach changed the way I viewed peaches. While I always liked peaches, Masumoto's passion for peaches elevated them to the top of the fruit ladder. However, I felt that he had reached the end of that genre. How much more was there to say about peaches and peach growing? I was wrong. Four Seasons and Five Senses is a wonderful book which deepens my affection of peaches and enhances my knowledge of the process.

   He has grown so much as a writer since Epitaph for a Peach. He's able to bring to life the love of farming, the excitement about organic peaches, the anxieties about the market and weather, the sensuality of eating luscious fruit, the uncertainty of prices, and the difficulty of the labor. He breaks the stereotype of ignorant farmers. He connects peach farming with such diverse subjects as chamber music, migrant labor, and entomology.

   I did not want the book to end.

   Having tasted Masumoto's peaches also helps for they truly are amazing. I recommend the book to anyone who appreciates good food, wants to know about the experience of organic farming, and is interested in whole process of getting a peach to market.




3. The writer is a farmer who grows organic peaches and grapes (for raisins) in California. That's about like saying that Mother Teresa is a nun from Eastern Europe...true enough as far as it goes, but it misses the point. The writer is a gentle philosopher who loves his farm and his crops and celebrates both with all of his senses throughout the year. To read this book is to share that intense feeling about the land and growing things, along with the hope and despair that accompanies each crop.

   In very few books do you encounter such a deep love of the land and growth of plants and sensitivity to it. Seldom do you find an understanding of the unity and wholeness of farming in its true sense. The writer incorporates his own Japanese background and the labour of his parents and grandparents and the toil of his Mexican farm laborers into his understanding of the soil, the climate, the market and most of all the fruit he grows.

   All five senses are used to give the reader a multi-dimensional feeling of immediacy. The writer shares with us the sweat, the dust, the heat, the memories and the hopes - all the complexities of growing a truly luscious peach. This is no sentimental view of farming, but it does explore the soul of the relationship between a man and the land.

   This book is for anyone who loves the land and understand the magic of growing things.

1 comments about We Refused To Die: My time as a prisoner of war in Bataan and Japan, 1942-1945.

1. This book was beautiful! American history was recorded so well by the author it made you feel his hunger! I gave this book to my grandfather, who is a WWII vet, and I plan on having my children read it. Amazing!

2 comments about Stubborn Twig: Three Generations in the Life of a Japanese American Family.

1. I just finished reading The Stubborn Twig today. I love to spend hours in bookstores looking for different kinds of books and am pretty quick at purchasing what I know I will like. This book intrigued me just by the title - it went right to the top of the pile of books that I brought home that day. I started reading it right away.

   The story deals with how the Yasui family copes with the trials and daily living of being different. It also gives a look into how they at times fit in with their white (hakujin) neighbors and no one noticed.

   The story is both touching and exciting as the reader goes through the generations of Yasui's and how they feel about the world around them.

   I think that Ms. Kessler did a very good job of telling the story of each family member while weaving them into the importance of the famliy as a whole. I too come from a large family with generations of history. It has inspired me to start better record-keeping for my own children and the ones to come.

   I never knew of the reasons behind the internment of the Japanese Americans during the war. This book not only gives facts and history but the details of how real people had to cope to survive. I recommend this book to anyone interested in history, and an admirable approach to finding the courage to start over in life.




2. I found this book while browsing in the stacks one day. I had no idea that Japanese had been imported to build the Railroads in the Northwest during the late 19th and early 20th centuries (this was because Chinese were not available... laws had been passed making their immigration to the US illegal), and mainly ONLY MEN. It was a real eye-opener (I have seen NO such information ever in any US History book I read in school, and I am born and educated in the US -- graduated from UC Berkeley).

   This book is very easy to read and become engrossed into. I could not do anything else in my spare time other than work on finishing reading this. It goes a long way to filling in much of the missing pieces with Japan of US History before, during, and after WWI and WWII.

   Most US Citizens NEVER heard of Min Yasui, a newly minted Lawyer and Japanese-American US Citizen (by birth) from Hood River, Oregon, who decided to challenge Executive Order 9066 by deliberately disobeying it, getting arrested, charged, convicted, and put into Solitary Confinement for the duration of WWII even as the US Supreme Court ruled against him regarding the Constitutionality of it. And, yes folks, Executive Order 9066 could be reissued today, against anyone (even you), without Due Process. You too could be treated just like the Yasui's, ripped out of your job and home, have your bank accounts frozen, told you had 48 hours to pack and could only bring what you personally could carry with your hands and nothing more... and then lose your property and home when you could not pay the property taxes (because your Bank Accounts had been frozen by the Federal Government).

   You say you're a US Citizen? So were the Yasui's (except for Min and his wife, who were prohibited by Federal Law from ever becoming Naturalized Citizens -- a Law that was not changed until 1958!! Whites could, and Blacks after the Civil War in 1865 were added to the list. But Asians were never mentioned anywhere. It didn't say they could not, but it didn't say they could either. It just didn't say... and so the US Supreme Court ruled that Asian Immigrants were EXCLUDED from ever becoming Naturalized US Citizens. Hard to believe? Read about how the Yasui's coped with this issue. And the next time you eat an apple from a box marked HOOD RIVER, OREGON... you will know "the Rest of the Story... ".

   This book should be Required Reading for anyone taking or even remotely interested in US History.