Japan Took the J.A.P. Out of Me
By: Lisa Fineberg Cook
Published: October 2009
Format: Trade Paperback, 288 pages
ISBN-10: 1439110034
ISBN-13: 9781439110034
Publisher: Downtown Press
"Six days after a very In Style wedding, my husband, my rock, and I are on our way to Japan", writes Lisa Fineberg Cook in her often hilarious and always fascinating memoir Japan Took the J.A.P. Out of Me. The author shares her experiences, openly and with complete honesty, of her life as a newlywed living in Nagoya, Japan.
Lisa Fineberg Cook left her carefree and pampered Beverly Hills life behind, as she journeyed across the globe, where her new husband had taken a two year teaching contract. Unaccustomed to Japanese life and customs, the author discovers that expatriate life can be both challenging and rewarding. Often longing for a return her California home, Lisa Fineberg Cook struggles with loneliness, language barriers, and laundry. Her new marriage is often tested, but she and her husband develop even deeper bonds, as they share their trials and triumphs together. The resulting one year memoir reads likes a novel, and is filled with joy, sorrow, laughter, and tears. For the author, the adventure is one she will never forget.
Lisa Fineberg Cook (photo left) experiences severe culture shock upon her arrival in Nagoya, Japan. The Toyota Capital is very little like her home in the United States, and her first reaction is that she won't be able to cope with the new life. As she overcomes language and cultural barriers, she finds work as a teacher of conversational English. That experience leads to a job at a school for girls. Once the author develops an understanding of the transportation system and the cultural differences, she finds common bonds with the people of Japan. Her recognition that all people share both joy and suffering is made clear upon a visit to the Atomic Museum in Hiroshima. The discovery of that universal bond helps her to better connect with the people of Japan. In the end, Lisa Fineberg Cook finds a deep love for the people and the culture of Japan.
For me, the power of the book is in the fresh, authentic story telling by the author. Told in blunt, and often frank language, Lisa Fineberg Cook conveys her sense of being lost, and unable to cope with a world far outside her previous life experience. The memoir is one of personal growth, and of learning more about herself and her husband, and their ability to overcome obstacles. In the end, their marriage is even stronger, and their love for the people and society of Japan resonate through the book. From her initial culture shock, the author learns to travel about and to live in Japan, while establishing friendships with several of the local people. At the same time, the author pulls no punches regarding the role of women in Japanese society, and of her concerns with a culture that she considers restrictive and conformist.
I highly recommend the warm and wonderful book Japan Took the J.A.P. Out of Me by Lisa Fineberg Cook, to anyone seeking a memoir of real world experiences as an expatriate living in Japan. The story is not sugar coated, and the language often raunchy, but that style makes the truth even more immediate. The message of overcoming obstacles as the author ventures on her journey of self discovery, is a powerful one that stays with the reader long after the book is closed.
Read the witty and heartfelt personal account Japan Took the J.A.P. Out of Me by Lisa Fineberg Cook, and see life in another land and culture through the eyes of someone who experienced the adventure first hand. The book is a story of hope, and shares the idea that anyone who can live successfully half way around the world, can do anything. Lisa Fineberg Cook's story proves that to be the case, as she triumphs over adversity, and becomes a better and stronger person as a result.
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