How Do You Live?

Title:  How Do You Live?

Author:  Genzaburo Yoshino (Author), Bruno Navasky (Translator)

Publication Information:  Algonquin Young Readers. 1937 (original Japanese). 2021 (English translation). 288 pages.

ISBN:  1616209771 / 978-1616209773

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley and a publisher's blog tour free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "Copper is in his second year of junior high school."

Favorite Quote:  "But even when you have read the books and learned the ideas, the ultimate key to the mystery will be - Copper, of course it will be you. You, yourself and no other. For it is only through the life you will lead, building on your many experiences and impressions, that you will be able to understand the truths in the words of these great thinkers."

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Review

I had never heard of this book or the author until seeing the marketing for the book. I am fan of Hayao Miyazaki's movies and of Neil Gaiman's work. Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki calls this his favorite childhood book and is in fact basing a  new Studio Gibli movie on this book. The book description also draws a comparison to The Alchemist by Paul Coelho, which I love.

This set up creates high expectations for the book. Although targeted to an audience aged 10-14, this book offers considerable philosophy to an adult reader. The title - how do you live - is very much literal. The book offers advice and principals for an ethical life.

The philosophy is embedded in the life of Copper, a young man whose nickname comes from the mathematician and scientist Copernicus. Copper is fifteen years old in this book and in junior high school - a challenging age in the best of circumstances. Copper's life is further challenged by the loss of his father.

Much of this philosophical advice resonates even as an adult reader. The book is at times sad and at times nostalgic. Given the time of its original publication, the book also captures the changing paradigm of life in the years leading up to World War II. As the translator's note  points out, "... it contains many lessons, and a quiet but powerful message on the value of thinking for oneself and standing up for others during troubled times. In this respect, it's a unique book, and particularly valuable to us now..."

This story focuses on his life in school and with his friends and his relationship with his uncle - the father figure in his life. The chapters alternate with depictions of incidents in Copper's life and with writings of his uncle in a notebook destined to provide guidance to Copper in his life. The uncle's journal stems from his promise to Copper's father to help Copper become a "good" man.

The structure of alternating chapter does create a distance in the book from Copper's story, but perhaps that is intentional for it keeps the focus on principles being shared. Copper's story is a vehicle for the lessons in ethics rather than the lessons being a corollary to Copper's story.

The interesting aspect is that so many of the ideas share transcend time. So much of what is shared in this book published in the 1930s still holds true today. I suppose that is not surprising for the basic tenets of living a good and ethical life do not change. The lessons we learn in childhood and attempt to pass on to our own children remain constant ones of believing in yourself, standing up for what you believe in, and standing up for other even when they cannot.

The book is memorable, and in this case, I cannot wait to see the movie!

About the Book

First published in 1937, Genzaburo Yoshino’s enchanting novel HOW  DO  YOU  LIVE? is finally available in English for the first time. Award-winning filmmaker  Hayao Miyazaki  (Spirited Away,  Howl’s Moving Castle) has long referred to this coming-of-age classic beloved by millions of Japanese readers as not only a major influence on his work but also his favorite childhood book, and he has recently announced plans to base his final film on it. Brilliantly translated by Bruno Navasky and with a foreword by fantasy master  Neil Gaiman, who wrote the English-language adaptation of Miyazaki’s  Princess Mononoke,  this new edition will introduce legions of new readers to Yoshino’s timeless tale.

HOW  DO  YOU  LIVE?  begins with fifteen-year-old Copper, who has recently suffered the loss of his father, gazing out over his hometown of Tokyo, watching the thousands of people below, and beginning to ponder life’s big questions. How many people are in the world? What do their lives look like? Are humans really made of molecules? The book moves between Copper’s story and his uncle’s journal entries, in which he gives advice and helps Copper learn pivotal truths about the way the world works. Over the course of a year in his life, Copper, like his namesake Copernicus, embarks on a journey of philosophical enlightenment, and uses his discoveries about the heavens, earth and human nature to determine the best way to live. Yoshino perfectly captures the beauty and strangeness of pre-war Japan – the changing of the seasons, the fried tofu and taiyaki stands, and the lush landscapes, as Copper explores the city on his bike and learns from friends and family what really matters most in life. “It’s funny and sad in a particularly Japanese way. As I read more of the book, I discovered that it contains lessons on everything: art, science, language, history, politics and philosophy,” translator Bruno Navasky writes. “It also contains a quiet but powerful message on the value of thinking for oneself and standing up for others during troubled times.”

“Books like this are important,” writes Neil Gaiman in the book’s foreword. “I’m so glad Mr. Miyazaki is making his film because it means that eighty-four years after it was written, Yoshino’s novel can be read in English, in Bruno Navasky’s gentle and winning translation, and that I got to read it.” Perfect for fans of  The Little Prince  and  the Alchemist, as well as Miyazaki fans eager to understand some of his most important influences,  HOW  DO  YOU  LIVE?  is a whimsical and wise novel that will forever change the way readers think about their place in the world.

About the Author

Genzaburō Yoshino (1899-1981) was a Japanese writer and publisher. In 1935, he became director of a collection of educational books for young people. Yoshino stepped in to write How Do You Live? when Yūzō Yamamoto, the expected writer, fell ill. Since its debut as a novel and guide to philosophy for young people, How Do You Live? has been re-edited and republished more than eighty times, a reflection of the changing times and culture in Japan.

About the Translator

Bruno Navasky is a teacher and writer, whose work as a translator and editor includes Festival in My Heart: Poems by Japanese Children and Poem in Your Pocket for Young Poets. He was the founding editor of American Poet, the journal of The Academy of American Poets, where he now serves on the board of directors. He lives and works in New York City.

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The Moth Presents All These Wonders

Title:  The Moth Presetns All These Wonders

Author:  Catherine Burns (editor)

Publication Information:  Crown Archetype. 2017. 352 pages.

ISBN:  1101904402 / 978-1101904404

Book Source:  I received this book through the Blogging for Books program free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "I first started hearing about the Moth in the late 1990s."

Favorite Quote:  "The Moth connects us, as humans. Because we all have stories. Or perhaps, because we are, as human, already an assemblage of stories. And the gulf that exists between us as people is that when we look at each other we might see faces, skin color, gender, race, or attitudes, but we don't see, we dan't see, the stories. And once we hear each other's stories we realize that the things we see as dividing us are, all too often, illusions, falsehoods:  that the walls between us are in truth no thicker than scenery. The Moth teaches us not to judge by appearances. It teaches us to listen. It reminds us to empathize"

This is the first time I have heard of The Moth although the organization celebrated its twentieth anniversary this year. The cover and idea of the book sounding intriguing; so, I decided to learn more.

The book itself hooks me from the beginning in the foreword by Neil Gaiman. It states so eloquently an idea that I hold dear. From its beginning, the book reminds me of other favorites - the works of Brandon Stanton and StoryCorps. All these works seek to bring the world together, one story at a time, one person at a time. In the words of Maya Angelou, "We are more alike my friends, than we are unalike." All these works seek to convey this idea.

The Moth returns to the oldest of all storytelling traditions - the oral tradition.  The purpose of the organization, according to its media kit, states, "The Moth celebrates the ability of stories to honor both the diversity and commonality of human experience, and to satisfy a vital human need for connection. It seeks to present recognized storytellers among established and emerging writers,  performers and artists and to encourage storytelling among communities whose stories often go unheard."

The idea began in 1997 in Georgia in the home of novelist and poet George Dawes Green. He brought the idea with him when he moved to New York City. To date, The Moth has had over 26,000 stories told in over 3,500 live events, and the numbers continue to grow every days.

The idea has blossomed and grown with open-mic events around the United States and community, education, and corporate programs. The project has also evolved into a radio broadcast, podcasts, and, now, this book. The book is the first venture to translate this oral storytelling into the written word.

The title of this book, All These Wonders, comes from one of the stories in the book. The larger metaphor is that "we all have moments in life when we are forced off the map. Sometimes it's by choice ... Other times we get shoved there against our will ... But the stories in this book who that when we dare to face the unknown, we usually discover that we have more grit and tenacity than we thought. And we often land in a place that we couldn't even have imagined when we started out."

As is the case with a collection of stories, some touched me more than other because of where I am in my life and my own experiences. The book comprises about 50 stories organized into seven sections. The individual stories run the gamut from light-hearted to heart-breaking. Some storyteller names I recognize, and some are new to me. Each story is only a few pages long with a brief biography of the storyteller and the details of where the story was first told. All leave me with something to ponder. This book is a beautiful glimpse into a fascinating project. I look forward to reading and listening to more.

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The Frangipani Hotel: Fiction

Title:  The Frangipani Hotel: Fiction

Author:  Violet Kupersmith

Publication Information:  Spiegel & Grau. 2014. 256 pages.

ISBN:  0812993314 / 978-0812993318

Book Source:  I read this title based on the title and based on the fact that it is about Vietnam, a part of the world I have not read much about.

Favorite Quote:  "And there are many, many worlds within this one. Worlds alongside each other, worlds, that overlap each other; you might not even know if you wandered into one that wasn't your own."

Violet Kupersmith brings to life nine tales of her native Vietnam. The stories are ghost stories based on old Vietnamese folk tales and legends. This book reinterprets the stories into a more modern and current world - the one after the Vietnam War and the one incorporating the immigrant experience of the Vietnamese people.

The stories include:

• A couple who are caught at sea in a storm and who come face to face with a ghost.
• A young girl who is sent to Vietnam to supposedly visit her grandmother but who encounters and learns from a ghostly banh mi vendor.
• A ghostly young woman who takes up residence in an unoccupied room at Frangipani Hotel.
• A ghoul who searches for a body
• A victim of a murder who seeks closure

Violet Kupersmith is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees and is only in her twenties. This collection of stories is her first book. She began writing this book as a college student and finished it during her time in Vietnam as a Fullbright scholar.

As a cultural study, this book was not what I expected. The only reading I have done related to Vietnam has been related to the Vietnam War. I was hoping to learn more and better understand the culture. That did not happen. In fact, I walked away feeling I needed to better understand the culture and then come back and re-read the book. Perhaps, I would understand them better, and the stories would create more of a reaction.

As ghost stories, the tales of this book are not particularly scary. The writing is very atmospheric, but the stories themselves do not elicit an emotional response from me. Perhaps, that is because I am missing the cultural context; perhaps, it just is. I am not sure. My basic reaction at the story's end was, "And ..... what's next?"

The writing is very atmospheric. In a way, the tone is similar to that of The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman - tales of fantasy and mythology. Yet, these stories do no elicit the same response for me that Neil Gaiman's book did. One key difference, of course, is the short story format. These stories end somewhat abruptly, while Neil Gaiman's book fully delves into and develops a single story. These stories in this book also tell of an event or circumstance happening, while Neil Gaiman's book is an adult's retrospective on a childhood event. That perspective perhaps allows for more reflection than a description of ghostly occurrences.

Regardless, while the stories themselves do not move me, I do appreciate Violet Kupersmith's debut writing and will look for her next work.

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The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Title:  The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Author:  Neil Gaiman

Publication Information:  HarperCollins Publishers Inc. 2013. 182 pages.

Book Source:  I read this book because I have seen so much publicity about this author's work but never read anything by him.

Favorite Quote:  "Different people remember things differently, and you'll not get any two people to remember anything the same, whether they were there or not.  You stand two of you lot next to each other, and you could be continents away for all it means anything."

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is pure fantasy. The author intended for it be a short story, but the story evolved into a novel. The book pulls the reader into its world and does not let go.

A man returns to the place of his childhood for a funeral and takes a trip down memory lane. His home is no longer there, but he visits a neighbor's home - the family of a childhood friend. From there, the story is a reflection back into his childhood.

He grew up on a farm with his parents and sister. A lonely quiet seven year old boy. His family struggles with money. He becomes friendly with a young girl, Lettie, who lives with her grandmother and mother at the end of the lane.

From there, the story draws the reader into a world of creatures from another world, of good and evil, of friendship and sacrifice. There are allusions to traditions honoring women, mythology, and mysticism. Fantasy creeps into reality and leaves you wondering what is read. The tale is a dark one, but the ultimate message is about friendship and childhood memories.

This is a short book and a very quick read. What I love about this book is how visual it is. It feels like watching a story unfold not just reading one. I also enjoy the fact that it leaves you wondering what to believe. The boy in this book is a reader and his words describe this book for me:  "I liked myths. They weren't adult stories and they weren't children's stories. They were better than that. They just were."