Shipwrecked!: The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy [Hardcover]

Rhoda Blumberg (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

In the 1800s, the Japanese government had strict isolation laws. By decree, foreigners and ideas from outside Japan were forbidden. So when fourteen-year-old Manjiro and four other fishermen were shipwrecked on a small rocky island three hundred miles from shore, they wondered if they would ever be allowed to return home!

Celebrated author Rhoda Blumberg regales us with Manjiro's exciting true story. He was the first Japanese person to come to the United States, and his impressions of the country give us vivid glimpses of midnineteenth-century American life. He even took part in the Gold Rush!

In a surprising twist of fate, Manjiro became a hero in Japan, playing an important role in opening his country to westerners.

Told here by a brilliant storyteller with a passion for history, Manjiro's biography is a fast-paced, historically accurate, inspiring true-life adventure.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From 14-year-old castaway to honored samurai, Manjiro Nakahama (1827-1898), the first Japanese person to come to the United States, had more adventures than the hero of many a swashbuckler. With insight and flair, Rhoda Blumberg relays Manjiro's life story in Shipwrecked!: The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy. Handsomely illustrated with period drawings, sketches and woodblock prints, the text also explains such historical elements as 19th-century Japan's carefully enforced isolation from the Western world, the importance of the American whaling industry and the enormous cultural gaps between Japanese and American societies. ( Feb.)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8-The true tale of a 14-year-old Japanese boy who, after being shipwrecked while fishing in 1841, was marooned for six months, rescued by an American whaling ship, educated in New England, and returned home to become an honored samurai. Blumberg was inspired to rescue this incredible story about Manjiro, also known as John Mung, when she realized that although it was well known in Japan, it enjoys only a small awareness in the West. The author's presentation illuminates what Japan's isolationist policies meant to individuals living there at that time and the immediate cultural differences that Manjiro experiences such as eating bread and sitting in chairs as the "first Japanese person to set foot in the United States." Her book packs a lot of excitement and drama into a few pages, and has lots of large, well-chosen illustrations. The title doesn't begin to hint at the incredibly varied adventures that are compacted here, deserving of a longer and more thorough treatment, but the text does convey the author's enthusiasm and awe of her subject. This is a good addition to libraries, as not only is it a fluid story about a fascinating person not yet on the shelves, but it also sheds light on many topics such as Japanese history, whaling practices, and 19th-century America.
Andrew Medlar, Chicago Public Library, IL
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (February 5, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688174841
• ISBN-13: 978-0688174842
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #571,207 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > Children's Books > History > Asia
  • #91 in Books > Children's Books > Transportation > Boats & Ships

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A biography that reads like fiction!, August 20, 2001

By 

Anne G. Williams (Huntington Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shipwrecked!: The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy (Hardcover)

Rhoda Blumberg does a fantastic job of telling the story of fourteen-year-old Manjiro's life. He was rescued with a bunch of shipwrecked fishermen. In those days Japan did not allow foreigners into Japan. Japanese who had left Japan were not allowed back in.

Manjiro was rescued by an American whaling ship, taken to Hawaii, and then to New England by the ship owner. What happened to him then sounds so fantastic, it is hard to believe it is all true.

The author uses Manjiro's drawings and authentic photographs of the time. It is amazing to think how much difference Commodore Perry's visit to Japan made in the lives of the people.

This book is sure to catch the fancy of the young biography readers.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling Adventure, April 20, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Shipwrecked!: The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy (Hardcover)

This is a GREAT story--it would be edge-of-the-seat exciting if it were just that--but being based in fact makes it doubly compelling. Also, a great book for boys who otherwise might not be avid readers. Tell them it's quite an adventure story. That they will learn some history and of differing cultures can remain your own little secret.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating...even for young children!, June 10, 2007

By 

homeschooler (Indianapolis) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shipwrecked! The True Adventures Of A Japanese Boy (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (School & Library Binding)

My girls, 6 and 8, couldn't wait to continue reading this book each day. It is so much more than a biography and is very readable. Besides an indepth look at the life and times of Manjiro, AKA John Mung, it is a wealth of information about Japan, whaling, and culture (and cultural change) without a textbook feel. I agree that it should be made into a movie (if it hasn't and I just don't know about it). This book is infused with many black and white photographs, paintings, prints, and drawings -- including sketches by John Mung. If using this in a classroom or homeschool environment, this is a great jumping-off point toward such varied subjects as Moby Dick and whaling, samurai, Commodore Perry, ships, Japanese history and culture, Hawaii, and even the California Gold Rush. This was riveting and gives the reader (even young ones!) a deeper understanding of Japan and the times surrounding Manjiro/John Mung's life. Pair this up with How to Be a Samurai Warrior (How to Be); You Wouldn't Want to Sail on a 19th Century Whaling Ship!: Grisly Tasks You'd Rather Not Do (You Wouldn't Want to...);Step Into... Ancient Japan (The Step Into Series);Exploration into Japan (Exploration Into); or Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun

EDIT 1/19/2011 If you want to read more...there is a new (2010) historical fiction book called Heart of a Samurai Heart of a Samurai -- about the adventures of Manjiro Nakahama. It has received favorable reviews and we plan to read it soon!