World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Japan
Translated from Japanese
4.02/5 I found Genzaburō Yoshino’s How Do You Live? after a search of literature of works translated from Japanese to English. Reading such a work helped me towards accomplishing benchmarks in both the World Tour and the In Translation Journey Stellar Reading Challenges (SRC). In my search, I endeavored to locate a book without too many trigger warnings. The winner, with glowing reviews and a foreward by Neil Gaiman, happens to be this book. I purchased the Audible version read by Brian Nishii.
Check out these SRC by clicking on the following phrases:
“Anime master Hayao Miyazaki’s favorite childhood book, in English for the first time.… First published in 1937, Genzaburō Yoshino’s How Do You Live? has long been acknowledged in Japan as a crossover classic for young readers. Academy Award–winning animator Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle) has called it his favorite childhood book and announced plans to emerge from retirement to make it the basis of a final film… How Do You Live? is narrated in two voices. The first belongs to Copper, fifteen, who after the death of his father must confront inevitable and enormous change, including his own betrayal of his best friend. In between episodes of Copper’s emerging story, his uncle writes to him in a journal, sharing knowledge and offering advice on life’s big questions as Copper begins to encounter them. Over the course of the story, Copper, like his namesake Copernicus, looks to the stars, and uses his discoveries about the heavens, earth, and human nature to answer the question of how he will live… This first-ever English-language translation of a Japanese classic about finding one’s place in a world both infinitely large and unimaginably small is perfect for readers of philosophical fiction like The Alchemist and The Little Prince, as well as Miyazaki fans eager to understand one of his most important influences.”
In general, How Do You Live? met my needs for a Japanese book without too much content beyond a PG rating. I enjoyed Copper’s relationship with his uncle. I liked his curiosity and his sense of wonder. Some of the tone, however, seemed too “teachy” (didactic, if you prefer). This tone probably factored into how long it took me to read the book. Nevertheless, I felt How Do You Live? deserved a solid 4 out of 5 stars.
Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.
Starry Night Elf 