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giuliana_21's review against another edition
4.0
Considering I haven’t read a memoir in a while, David Mura curated a fascinating perspective on his year long experience of living in Japan. Perhaps it’s because of my previous interest in Japanese culture, but I felt interested the entire time. It was like hearing your friend tell a story: comfortable and compelling.
knkoch's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
3.75
This was more challenging for me. It’s a memoir by a Japanese American writer on fellowship in Japan, coming to terms with cultural, personal, and historical intersections. I listened to a local panel discussion David Mura was a part of discussing the Asian American Experience in Minnesota and the book Minor Feelings by Cathy Hong Park, and that led me to this memoir.
The emotional aspects of his time in Japan were sometimes hard for me to follow and connect with. The tension between describing his active and internal experiences usually pushed me towards the active. But I learned so much more about Japan (at least, Japan in the 80s), and I’ve been noticing that impact often, especially during a recent trip to an art museum. They had a room with Noh chanting over the speaker system, and I was impressed I could identify it based solely on Mura's descriptions in this book. I’m looking forward to reading his novel, Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire, which he makes reference to here.
The emotional aspects of his time in Japan were sometimes hard for me to follow and connect with. The tension between describing his active and internal experiences usually pushed me towards the active. But I learned so much more about Japan (at least, Japan in the 80s), and I’ve been noticing that impact often, especially during a recent trip to an art museum. They had a room with Noh chanting over the speaker system, and I was impressed I could identify it based solely on Mura's descriptions in this book. I’m looking forward to reading his novel, Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire, which he makes reference to here.
mscalls's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Rape
Minor: Police brutality
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