The Prison Memoirs of a Japanese Woman (Foremother Legacies : Autobiographies and Memoirs of Women from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin) [Hardcover]

Kaneko Fumiko (Author), Fumiko Kaneko (Author), Jean Inglis (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Japanese

Product Details

• Hardcover: 226 pages
• Publisher: M E Sharpe Inc (December 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873328019
• ISBN-13: 978-0873328012
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,088,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing clarity and pathos from a self-educated woman, March 14, 2000

By 

Molly Bresnen (Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Prison Memoirs of a Japanese Woman (Foremother Legacies Series) (Paperback)

I originally had to read this book for a Japanese History class, and found it incredible. In the 1930's it was standard practice to take a written confession from prisoners before execution, but this one stood out and has survived to the present day for its insight and honesty. This is a person who, after unthinkable suffering acheived not only complete self-realization but the ability to communicate it to others. It's also facinating because, despite so much spilt ink about understanding the conservative Japanese psyche, this is one of the only non-fiction works which effectively and honestly tackles communal mentality and social hierarcy without over-complicating the issue. But beyond that, it is an incredible story not unlike a true-to-life Japanese version of Ellison's Invisible Man. It is a crime that this book is not well known.