Last book of Dec 08
Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangster's Daugther
From Publishers Weekly
Tendo, the daughter
of a yakuza (mob) boss, grew up in 1970s and '80s Japan, living
through the booms and busts of life on the wrong side of the law.
Her first published work, Shoko uses unpracticed but appropriately
blunt prose to memoir her exceedingly arduous life; readers will
appreciate her restrained but powerful details, especially during
some of the harsher scenes. From age 12 onwards, Shoko's life was
enveloped in drug addiction, poverty, psychological and sexual
abuse, miscarriage, attempted suicide and the deaths of many close
family members, set against a backdrop of Japan's ultra-secretive
yakuza society. Admiration and a detached style keep Tendo from
exploring any resentment she might harbor toward her criminal
father, which may prove off-putting for some, but feels entirely
honest given the emotional trauma Tendo suffers, and is as
revealing for what it includes as for what it doesn't. Emotionally
complex and thoroughly heart-rending, this book is recommended for
anyone searching for a more thorough and personal understanding of
Japanese society, and its darker corners, than is offered by more
popular Japanese imports (movies, comic books) featuring similar
subject matter.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier
Inc. All rights reserved.
Fwah... I want to read this too! It looks mighty
interesting! So this was what you were talking about last
night... 
