“If you went back to Japan would you be a samurai?” Terry said. Manjiro hesitated before answering. He could explain that there was no possible way he could ever be a samurai, that if he went back to Japan he would be a simple fisherman again. … But he didn’t. Instead, he said, “Yes. That’s what I would be.”
-Heart of a Samurai
Title: Heart of a Samurai
Author: Margi Preus
Genre: Young adult, historical fiction (based on true story)
Pages: 305
Date published: August 1st, 2010
Publisher: Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams
My overall rating: ★★★★✰
Synopsis
In 1841, fourteen-year-old Manjiro and his four friends find themselves stranded on a deserted island after a storm at sea. One day an American ship passes near the island and takes the castaways aboard. Manjiro joins in the work of the whaling vessel, eager to learn everything he can about this new culture. Over the next ten years, he travels the high seas, visiting places he never dreamed existed, including America. It is a time filled with new experiences and adventure, as well as friendship and treachery. Manjiro sustains himself on a dream of returning home and somehow – though he knows it is impossible for a simple fisherman – becoming a samurai. (shortened version of synopsis on inside cover)
My Reflections
I finished this whole book in one sitting. It was a quick, easy read, but nonetheless one that I really enjoyed and learned a lot from. It conveyed a lot of good life lessons and observations on differences between people/cultures and how to overcome them.
Heart of a Samurai is based on the true story of a Japanese man named Manjiro. From what I gathered after reading the historical note in the back of the book, Preus has accurately followed the general outline of Manjiro’s story very well, although she notes that she did add in some characters and incidents in order to “provide conflict and advance the story” and help portray some of the prejudice Manjiro faced since there was a lot of animosity towards Japan and its isolationist policies during this time. Even so, she manages to remain faithful to the real Manjiro’s story, which adds depth to the book for me.
Off of that point, Preus has done a wonderful job of conveying Manjiro’s struggles as he is introduced to foreign culture. The real Manjiro was believed to be the first Japanese person to set foot in America – that’s how isolated Japan was. One can only imagine the negative preconceptions that many people he met had of him, and which Manjiro initially had against the new “barbarians” he met as well. The cultures of Japan and America were like night and day. One aspect of this that stood out was Japan’s value of respect, which entailed those who were younger not asking questions and just listening. This clashes with Manjiro’s curious personality, and when Captain Whitfield of the ship that rescues him tells him to ask as many questions as he wants, he is in wonder. It takes him a little while, but Manjiro eventually adapts to the American culture and comes to love the seafaring life of a whaler.
Preus splendidly conveys Manjiro’s internal struggle with wanting to return to his homeland and staying in his new home. This book goes over about a decade of his life. As year after year passed of him staying in America, he started to establish a life which, although very different from the one he had led in Japan, was one which he came to love. Throughout the book, I kept wondering, Is Manjiro ever going to go home to Japan? And if I was him, would I even want to? Just imagine having two homes and two families which you love. How do you choose one over the other? I hate thinking about this but at the same time I love the conflicted emotions this question brings to the surface. (Like in some books when you hate that a certain character died, but at the same time the character’s death adds to the novel and makes you love it that much more.)
All in all, this was a delightful read. I only gave it a 4/5 instead of 5/5 because the book didn’t totally engross me, but this may just have been because it wasn’t the type of book that I usually read. However, if you enjoy historical fiction, this is an excellent choice!
Characters/character development: ★★★★★
Plot: ★★★★★
Setting: ★★★★★
Eloquence of voice: ★★★★★
Interesting/Captivating: ★★★★✰
OVERALL: ★★★★✰
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