Scan barcode
A review by saidtheraina
Cool Japan Guide: Fun in the Land of Manga, Lucky Cats and Ramen by Abby Denson
1.0
I try to read all the "graphic novel travelogues" that I can get my hands on. So I had to pick this one up. I was also hoping it might work as a booktalk title for my local middle school.
Unfortunately, I won't be using it for that.
When I finally got around to picking this up, I was immediately put off by the framing of a blonde white woman giving us a tour of Japan, which is not her country of heritage. I started reading it with a heightened antennae. And she never won me over.
The whole thing is written like the country of Japan is a theme park for tourists. It's a shiny, glossy version of the country. And it's all in generalities, rarely specific to her experience. It's mostly blocks of text with illustration, with very few of the images being more than illustrative.
There is also little to zero information about how to be respectful to Japanese culture. She talks about how polite the Japanese people are in general, but doesn't take the time to show you how to give that back.
Sidenote: My superstar doppelganger, Telgemeier, blurbs this book on the back. Which makes me sad.
Unfortunately, I won't be using it for that.
When I finally got around to picking this up, I was immediately put off by the framing of a blonde white woman giving us a tour of Japan, which is not her country of heritage. I started reading it with a heightened antennae. And she never won me over.
The whole thing is written like the country of Japan is a theme park for tourists. It's a shiny, glossy version of the country. And it's all in generalities, rarely specific to her experience. It's mostly blocks of text with illustration, with very few of the images being more than illustrative.
There is also little to zero information about how to be respectful to Japanese culture. She talks about how polite the Japanese people are in general, but doesn't take the time to show you how to give that back.
Sidenote: My superstar doppelganger, Telgemeier, blurbs this book on the back. Which makes me sad.