3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A lot lost in translation, but still a great book!!, March 13, 2007
This review is from: Totto-Chan's Children: A Goodwill Journey to the Children of the World (Hardcover)
This is a wonderful, heartrending book by UNICEF International Goodwill Ambassador and renowned actress/TV personality Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, which tells us of her encounters and friendships with children all over the world; children suffering from poverty, starvation, and at the hands of cruelty.
(First though, I must say I'm more than a little disappointed with the English translation. Much was lost, and, even more sadly, added, during the course of translation. Lost: the nuances and overtones overflowing in the original Japanese version which so clearly express the author's love, compassion, understanding, and sensitivity towards all of mankind. Also lost is the wonderful sense of humor and great humility, which combined with the above mentioned virtues truly made the tales in the original speak to the heart of the reader.
Somehow added in translation: a kind of harshness and arrogance which I can assure you, are nonexistent in the original. Added also is "preachiness," and Tetsuko Kuroyanagi never, ever, "preaches". If she did, the original Japanese version would never have sold as many copies it did or become a best-seller.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not critising the ability of, or blaming Dorothy Britton. Her translation is well researched, and there are no technical mistakes in her translation at all. It's just that translating one language from another, especially languages (like Japanese and English) which do not share a common ancestral language, or are from almost completely different cultures is extremely difficult, and "nuances" are easily involuntarily lost or added. I guess the expression "lost in translation" is best fitting in describing the flaws of this English version of this book. If you decide to try reading this book, I hope you keep the above in mind, and if the book sounds preachy, harsh, or unfeeling at times, that is not the true tone of Tetsuko Kuroyanagi but the inevitable side-effects of translation, and will keep reading on to learn of the sufferings of innocent children all over the world. )
That being said, I still think this is a wonderful, touching, truly heartrending book where, in sharp contrast to the short flashes of images broadcasted on the news or photo collections or even documentaries which try to show the tragedies of the suffering of children, Tetsuko Kuroyanagi presents the true story. In short, the story of suffering not just from lack of food and care, but lack of love.
Just as the stories of children in suffering in pain made tears come to my eyes, the stories of children laughing, smiling, and playing with Tetsuko Kuroyanagi touched my heart deeply, and made me want to DO something, and I'm sure anybody who reads this book will feel the same.
As the original Japanese version was written so children (and adults) in Japan could learn about the children Tetsuko Kuroyanagi encountered in other countries, I hope that English-speaking children will read this book as well.
However, since there are stories of terrible violence, rape, and prostitution, some parents might want to read the book out loud to small children, avoiding the harsh stories of reality they want to spare their children from hearing about until they're a little older.
Apparently, since the English version didn't sell very well, there are very few copies available, and those that are available are usually extremely expensive. I urge you though, to find a copy at the library, or get one from an Amazon seller, and to please, PLEASE read it and learn about the children from this unique perspective of an amazing woman with a big heart!
The countries that Tetsuko Kuroyanagi has visited as UNICEF's goodwill ambassador from 1984 to 1996 are: Tanzania, Niger, India, Mozambique, Cambodia, Vietnam, Angola, Bangladesh, Iraq, Ethiopia, Sudan, Rwanda, Haiti, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and these are the places she describes in this book. She has since visited at least one country every year, among which are Afghanistan (twice: once in 2001 when the country was still under the Taliban regime, and once in 2002), Liberia, Zaire (Congo), Cote d'Ivoire, Indonesia (just after the Sumatra Tsunami). Many times she does so at great personal risk and continues to reach and help many children. The one year she could not visit children in suffering was 2004 when she planned to go to Palestine and Israel but was stopped by UNICEF since it was determined too dangerous. Tetsuko Kuroyanagi continues her work to help children, and now at the age of seventy-three, she is still going strong. She has written some articles about these visits in her various books in Japanese, and I hope they will be collected into another book, maybe something like "Totto-chan's children - A Goodwill Journey to the Children of the World - Part Two."
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