Wrong About Japan
by Peter Carey
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Read in August, 2007
I found this slim volume on sale for just a couple of bucks at my local bookstore and picked it up because it looked, at first glance, like a breezy account of the author's visit with his son to Japan, a country I very much hope to visit myself one day. Ultimately, I found the experience of reading the book somewhat frustrating. Peter Carey seems to go through the book in a near-constant state of frustration and embarrassment as his attempts to understand Japanese culture are politely but firmly...more
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Read in April, 2007
an account of peter carey's trip to japan with his 12-year-old son to explore the world of japanese anime and manga.
it seems that all peter carey found in japan is disappointment and irritation. this would be fine, if he could turn those findings into an interesting book with any sort of insight. when i wasn't waiting for him to really get into it, i was busy being irritated and offended. (also annoyed with the translation/transliteration errors.)
it seems to me that all of his disappoin...more
it seems that all peter carey found in japan is disappointment and irritation. this would be fine, if he could turn those findings into an interesting book with any sort of insight. when i wasn't waiting for him to really get into it, i was busy being irritated and offended. (also annoyed with the translation/transliteration errors.)
it seems to me that all of his disappoin...more
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I just reread this one (it's a very fast read). Though it contains at least one fictional character, most of this novel is based on an actual trip Peter Carey took to Japan with his son, and various cultural (mis)conceptions of his that were either obliterated or propagated by the experience. It's a funny book, very enjoyable! I won't say which character is made up, maybe you can figure it out. I only know because I went to a reading when the book came out and the author happened to mention ...more
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Read in July, 2007
are you sensing a theme yet? another book on Japan, this one a quicker read (and with pictures!). It was pretty funny, less deep, but culturally relevnt as far as some of the realities of modern Japan and especially what it means to be a young person in the country.
I really love how each chapter begins with an image from Manga which, on its face, looks totally absurd. However as I got into the chapter I would discover how it related to the theme of the chapter. It was a fun diversion.
A g...more
I really love how each chapter begins with an image from Manga which, on its face, looks totally absurd. However as I got into the chapter I would discover how it related to the theme of the chapter. It was a fun diversion.
A g...more
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Read in April, 2008
Peter Carey went to Japan because his son likes manga, and because he's Peter Carey and he's got a good agent, scored interviews with a who's who of Japanese comics writers. The book might be more successful if Carey had been more willing to abandon his preconceptions about Japan, to accept it when his understanding of Japan is corrected, or to open his mind to youth culture; an interest in text-messaging and video games does not make one an otaku.
I did enjoy finding out a thing or t...more
I did enjoy finding out a thing or t...more
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A fantastic look at Western misconceptions of Eastern culture; also a sobering disillusionment of the culture and motives behind Japanese popular manga and anime. I literally read this in one sitting and got all teary-eyed when I found no more pages to read. Highly intriguing... recommended for anyone interested in anime, manga, or the progression of Japanese culture.
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Quirky, fun - and I liked it more than the novel of his that I read (My Life as a Fake). I'm going to Japan this summer and it made me very eager to see it firsthand.
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Read in January, 2004
This was not interesting, introsective, or even titillating.
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Read in March, 2006
I appreciate Carey's humorous attempts to understand Japan, because I've been doing the same thing, without having actually visited the place.
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Very nice. I light touch and very little ego. Not exactly gripping but very truthful and nicely observed.
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This is a snapshot book. Not a lot to work with, a simple little trip to Japan, but some notable insight.
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Read in March, 2008
Okay, I admit it, I chose the book for the cover. I'm a sucker for a well-designed cover.
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Read in January, 2006
A fun and interesting read. Very good for anyone with kids that are into Manga!
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A true story, a sweet and interesting take on anime and japan. A fun ride.
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A short read with some interesting insight into the Nihon pop culture.
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Read in December, 2007
I'm about to read this
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