Title:Japan took the J.A.P. Out of MeAuthor:Lisa Fineberg Cook
Rating:
1/2Recommended?To expatriates everywhere! Or to anyone that might ever someday be an expat; also to fans of Elizabeth Gilbert
What I Have to Say: I tend to enjoy memoirs, especially when they involve Japan. If I had understood how LITTLE this one actually did involve Japan, I probably wouldn't have read it. I went into the book excited to read about the Japanese culture and came out feeling like it could have taken place anywhere. I'm glad that I didn't know it would be like that beforehand, because I probably would have missed out on what turned out to be a great book.
Lisa Fineberg Cook and I have NOTHING in common. Well, very little, at least. I find her to be bratty, snobby, self-involved, and self-inclined. She is the kind of person that some of my friends might occasionally be friends with, and I would just never get it. This entire memoir is basically just her whining about Nagoya, Japan and how it is different from Beverly Hills/L.A. She's also an avid smoker (although she does occasioanlly try to deny this), and anyone that knows me knows that this is an immediate deal breaker for me. (I feel bad saying these things about the author, but I'm sure she would think I am too stuffy and moral for her tastes as well, so it's all good. Our ideas of fun are just very different.)
Now you might be thinking - but wait, I thought you "really enjoyed this book." And the fact is that, despite not really liking Lisa and knowing that she and I would NOT get along in life, I did like it. It was a fast-paced, witty, fun, and easy read. I would't go so far as to say that it's laugh out loud funny, but I did find myself smiling and laughing in my head on a regular basis.
More than that, though, she really does get across what it feels like to be an ex-patriot. I've been an ex-pat for over two years now, and I could relate on so may levels to the things she was going through. I would have dealt with them differently than she did, but she really made me understand that an ex-pat is an ex-pat no matter where they are. I could have written a similar book whining about Paris.
Reading about her experiences made me feel a sense of solidarity with her and helped me to understand her where everywhere else I just couldn't.
Oddly enough, despite my complaints, I found this to be an extremely enjoyable read that I literally could not put down. I read it in two sittings (I don't read books in one sitting, so this is pretty awesome for me).
Summary:This humorous, moving, and insightful debut memoir follows a young newlywed from Beverly Hills to Nagoya, Japan, where her husband has a new job.
7 comments:
Cool review :)
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Nice review, I was thinking about reading this book, it seems interesting but I'm still on the fence ;)
Thanks for the review. It would be great if the book actually had to do more with Japan!
Also, thanks for entering my giveaway! I'm heading over to your Vampire Diaries giveaway now, super excited about it!
Very enlightening review - when I read the title I was instantly intrigued, also hoping it meant a book that would satisfy my Japan-curiosity. I guess not. That's a pity, but I think the ex-pat angle sounds interesting enough.
Sounds interesting. I've never thought to decide whether someone could be my friend based on their smoking habit.
Ronnica - it's not that I can't be friends with people that smoke. I do have friends that are smokers. I just can't be friends with someone that would ever dream of smoking in front of me. If they smoke in their house/apartment, it's also hard, as then I won't go there (I don't go places where people smoke; to me it's practically the same thing as smoking myself).
Because of how much I hate cigarettes and how sensitive I am to smoke, it therefore makes it hard for me to be friends with smokers.
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