Heart of a Samurai [Hardcover]

Margi Preus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2010 | Age Range: 10 and up | Lexile Measure: 760L (What's this?)

In 1841, a Japanese fishing vessel sinks. Its crew is forced to swim to a small, unknown island, where they are rescued by a passing American ship. Japan’s borders remain closed to all Western nations, so the crew sets off to America, learning English on the way.

Manjiro, a fourteen-year-old boy, is curious and eager to learn everything he can about this new culture. Eventually the captain adopts Manjiro and takes him to his home in New England. The boy lives for some time in New England, and then heads to San Francisco to pan for gold. After many years, he makes it back to Japan, only to be imprisoned as an outsider. With his hard-won knowledge of the West, Manjiro is in a unique position to persuade the shogun to ease open the boundaries around Japan; he may even achieve his unlikely dream of becoming a samurai.


Accolades and Praise for Heart of a Samurai
2011 Newbery Honor Book
New York Times Bestseller
NPR Backseat Book Club pick

"A terrifc biographical novel by Margi Preus." -Wall Street Journal

*STARRED REVIEW*
"It’s a classic fish-out-of-water story (although this fish goes into the water repeatedly), and it’s precisely this classic structure that gives the novel the sturdy bones of a timeless tale. Backeted by gritty seafaring episodes—salty and bloody enough to assure us that Preus has done her research—the book’s heart is its middle section, in which Manjiro, allegedly the first Japanese to set foot in America, deals with the prejudice and promise of a new world. By Japanese tradition, Manjiro was destined to be no more than a humble fisherman, but when his 10-year saga ends, he has become so much more."
--Booklist, starred review

*STARRED REVIEW*
"Illustrated with Manjiro’s own pencil drawings in addition to other archival material and original art from Tamaki, this is a captivating fictionalized (although notably faithful) retelling of the boy’s adventures. Capturing his wonder, remarkable willingness to learn, the prejudice he encountered and the way he eventually influenced officials in Japan to open the country, this highly entertaining page-turner."
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

*STARRED REVIEW*
"Stunning debut novel. Preus places readers in the young man’s shoes, whether he is on a ship or in a Japanese prison. Her deftness in writing is evident in two poignant scenes, one in which Manjiro realizes the similarities between the Japanese and the Americans and the other when he reunites with his Japanese family."
--School Library Journal, starred review

*STARRED REVIEW*
"Preus mixes fact with fiction in a tale that is at once adventurous, heartwarming, sprawling, and nerve-racking in its depictions of early anti-Asian sentiment. She succeeds in making readers feel every bit as “other” as Manjiro, while showing America at its best and worst through his eyes."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"First-time novelist Preus turns the true story of Manjiro into an action-packed boy's adventure tale."
--Horn Book

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 5 Up–A Japanese teenager living in the mid-19th century bridges two worlds in this stunning debut novel based on true events. Manjiro and his fellow fishermen find refuge on a remote island after a storm destroys their ship. When they are rescued by an American whaleboat captain and given the chance to return home with him, Manjiro accepts the offer. His encounters with a land that he has been taught is barbaric and his subsequent efforts to return to Japan shape him into an admirable character. Preus places readers in the young man's shoes, whether he is on a ship or in a Japanese prison. Her deftness in writing is evident in two poignant scenes, one in which Manjiro realizes the similarities between the Japanese and the Americans and the other when he reunites with his Japanese family. A sailor named Jolly and an American teen express the racism he experiences in America. Both of these characters gain sympathy from readers as their backgrounds are revealed, and as one of them comes to respect Manjiro. The truths he learns about himself and his fellow men and women are beautifully articulated. Manjiro's own drawings are well placed throughout the narrative and appropriately captioned. Preus includes extensive historical notes and a bibliography for those who want to know more about the man and the world in which he lived.Hilary Writt, Sullivan University, Lexington, KY
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Manjiro is 14 when a freak storm washes him and his four fishing companions onto a tiny island far from their Japanese homeland. Shortly before starving, they are rescued by an American whaling ship. But it’s 1841 and distrust is rampant: the Japanese consider the whalers barbarians, while the whalers think of the Japanese as godless cannibals. Captain William Whitfield is different—childless, he forges a bond with the boy, and when it comes time for Manjiro to choose between staying with his countrymen or going to America as Whitfield’s son, he picks the path of adventure. It’s a classic fish-out-of-water story (although this fish goes into the water repeatedly), and it’s precisely this classic structure that gives the novel the sturdy bones of a timeless tale. Bracketed by gritty seafaring episodes—salty and bloody enough to assure us that Preus has done her research—the book’s heart is its middle section, in which Manjiro, allegedly the first Japanese to set foot in America, deals with the prejudice and promise of a new world. By Japanese tradition, Manjiro was destined to be no more than a humble fisherman, but when his 10-year saga ends, he has become so much more. Wonderful back matter helps flesh out this fictionalized version of the same story told in Rhoda Blumberg’s Shipwrecked! The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy (2001). Grades 7-11. --Daniel Kraus

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Amulet Books; 1 edition (August 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810989816
• ISBN-13: 978-0810989818
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1.1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,321 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Margi Preus' first novel for young people, Heart of a Samurai, is a 2011 Newbery Honor Book, an ALSC Notable Book and a recipient of the Asian Pacific American Award for Children's Literature, among other honors. Her newest picture book, Celebritrees; Historic and Famous Trees of the World, is a NYPL 100 Books for Reading and Sharing selection and picked by Parents Magazine as one of the top 20 children's books of 2011. She lives in Duluth, Minnesota where she likes to ski, hike, paddle a kayak, or sit quietly with a book in her lap.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart of a classic! August 12, 2010

By webshred

Format:Hardcover

A wonderful book, on a par with Jean Lee Latham's classic, CARRY ON, MR. BOWDITCH. It tells the true story of Manjiro, a Japanese boy who is swept out to sea in a fishing boat when he is 14 and gets rescued by American whalers. Manjiro learns English, becomes a sailor, travels all over the world, goes to school in America, signs on a whaling ship, even works the gold fields in California.

But the true significance of his story is how he became one of the first Japanese to appreciate and understand Western culture at a time when Japan had been closed to the West for 250 years. When the political climate finally begins to shift, and Japan decides to let American ships into their harbors, Manjiro is the one who helps them understand who the Americans are and what they want.

The title is a little misleading, unfortunately. The book has very little to do with actual Samurais. But as an historical novel for young adults, and as a story about hope and longing and cultural understanding, this is a great read. A must-have for any library.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children August 18, 2010

By Yana V. Rodgers

Format:Hardcover

In 1841, fourteen-year-old Manjiro worked as the youngest fisherman aboard a small Japanese boat with four other men. After a severe storm caused their boat to drift far out to sea, the men finally found shelter on a small deserted island. Not only did sheer survival prove a growing challenge, but the men had to face the nagging worry of how Japanese officials would treat them if they were rescued. The government had closed Japan's borders to all foreigners in the early 1600s, and anyone who left the country could be put to death upon returning to Japan.

After six grueling months living as castaways, Manjiro and his compatriots were rescued by an American whaling ship and brought to Hawaii. During this period the captain and Manjiro developed a father-son connection, so Manjiro continued the voyage with him to Massachusetts. Although Manjiro enjoyed life on the captain's farm and he learned quickly at school, the discriminatory treatment he faced in the community as the only Japanese boy prevented him from feeling completely at home. Year later, California's gold rush provided an opportunity to save enough money for returning home, but would the Japanese government permit him to re-enter the country after such a long time of living with the "barbarians"?

Middle grade readers will appreciate this engaging tale of a courageous child who survived near starvation on a deserted island, earned the respect of a bunch of rough sailors on a whaling ship, adapted to an entirely different culture, and risked execution for returning to Japan. Intrinsic to the storyline are a set of useful economics lessons about jobs, savings, and natural resources. The historical context provides an interesting opportunity to discuss the repercussions of sealing a country's borders to the outside world, an issue that is still relevant today.

36 of 44 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not what I was looking for February 7, 2011

By Lawral Wornek

Format:Hardcover

After being shipwrecked right at the opening of the story, Manjiro and his friends are rescued by the John Howland. The John Howland was a whaling vessel. It hunted whales for their blubber, baleen, and the spermaceti in the heads of the especially lucrative sperm whales. The descriptions of the hunting, killing, and butchering of the whales is not overly graphic, but as someone who grew up with an uncle down the street from Sea World (back when it was still an educational park rather than the kind of place that has roller coasters) and my own yearly unlimited pass, it was hard for me to read.

But whaling is an important part of this book. It is Manjiro's quick thinking during a kill, along with his ability to quickly pick up the English language, that earned him his American name, John Mung, and a permanent place among the crew. At the end of the John Howland's time at sea, the captain even adopts Manjiro, now John, and raises him as his own, providing him with the best schooling Massachusetts could offer, an apprenticeship, and even his own pony. John's time in Massachusetts is fraught with prejudice. He's certainly not warmly welcomed by the whole of his new community. He faces taunts and bullying, and the captain and his wife even have to change churches twice before finding one that will accept their adopted son.

John's maturity and nobility when dealing with all of this seems to stem from his desire to live up to all that the captain has given him. While this is wonderful and may even be true, I wish that John had more faults that just the propensity to bounce right off his pony. Throughout the book he has fears and hesitations and the story definitely has conflicts, but John Mung never really does. I didn't feel like he was a realistic character who showed growth as a person rather than a historical figure.

But my biggest problem with Heart of a Samurai isn't a problem with the book at all; it's a problem with how it was described to me (and to everyone else on the front cover of the finished copy). Manjiro's life was clearly an adventurous one, but only because it actually happened. This is not an adventure book, and I think we're doing it and its readers a disservice by describing it that way. For an adventure book, it drags in places, like most of John's time in Massachusetts and the various points in his life when he's sitting around waiting to starve to death. The actual "high seas adventures" don't take up a lot of the text. Instead, it's rich with historical details and based on the life of a real mover and shaker in the international politics of the mid-1800s. Don't give this to your adventure lovers. Give it to your history buffs instead.

Book source: ARC picked up at ALA