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Originally Posted by CRussel;3094138
Next up, [I
Shogun[/I]. I read this some 40 years ago, and was enthralled then, but will be curious to read it now after having worked for a Japanese automaker for 12 years. Then, I knew absolutely nothing about Japan except that we'd dropped a couple of atomic bombs on them, but now I have at least a limited understanding and appreciation for their culture and society.
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I think 'Shogun' was my all-time winner for 'Best Book Read.' Having lived in Japan for 15 years studying the culture, I found the accuracy of Shogun to be amazing! When combined with the movie 'The Last Samurai,' (which wasn't the greatest movie but did portray Japanese culture of that era very well,) one can get a pretty clear understanding of the strict rules that bound each person to their role in society. Many of those rules make no sense to a modern Westerner (or even some modern Japanese,) but they were/are the mainstay of the culture.
Book-wise, reading Clevell's 'Asian Series' in order is a treat! First 'Shogun,' followed by 'Taipan' (Clevell's accurate study of the founding of Hong Kong,) then 'King Rat,' followed by 'Noble House' (the modern extension of the Hong Kong trading community, with important characters from 'King Rat' playing a role in the storyline. If you visit Hong Kong, you can find 'real' names for the characters in the book, and locate all the streets, restaurants, and locations mentioned, bringing a sense of realism to the book. Great reads, all!
Stitchawl