Books not related to baseball normally do not get reviewed on this site… but this one is an exception. The reason? Yours truly authored one of the chapters, and it is about baseball! Well, it’s about my experiences in Japan and how baseball (specifically the Hanshin Tigers and starting H-TEN) helped me gain a sense of belonging here.
First things first: editor John Rucynski is a huge Hanshin Tigers fan. You might have seen his comments on multiple posts on our Facebook page. You should also know that when he sent out an invitation to many potential contributors (and in the end, 30 people’s accounts made it into the volume), he included a “sample chapter” that included his own story of becoming a Tigers fan. It did not make the final cut, and is unfortunately not available to the public! (It was quite entertaining!)
Anyhow, I will not touch on my own chapter so much here. You probably know my story well enough if you’ve been trekking along with us for any amount of time. And if not, it will eventually come out in bits and pieces, or perhaps in an entire volume at a later date!
Let’s instead look at some of the topics covered in the other 30 chapters…
- calligraphy
- temples and festivals
- drumming and music
- tennis, soccer, sumo wrestling, and volleyball
- rural life
- hiking, pilgrimages, and mountain climbing
- chess
- housing
- intercultural negotiations
I can honestly say this, folks. There are a lot of talented people out there who have a strong love for Japan, but it did not come easy for most. Many of these writers needed time to adjust, understand, and accept their situations before they could truly amalgamate into society and thrive. Reading everyone’s stories was an absolute pleasure, whether I was interested in their passion or not. I have to admit, I have gained a lot of respect for them all, and gained a desire not only to get to know them, but to foray into their worlds a little bit as well!
I must recommend this book, irrespective of my involvement in it. Even without Chapter 9 (Baseball, Blogging, and Belonging), I would have thoroughly enjoyed it. I should also add that I do not often think very highly of books written by amateurs, but this one is extremely well-written. So much so, that I feel my chapter is the one most in need of a rewrite (or maybe even a ghostwriter)!
I should also add that I plan on having editor John Rucynski on the podcast sometime soon. We will talk about this book but naturally, the conversation will also include plenty of Tiger talk! Stay tuned, and in the meantime, get your copy of this book!