Customer Reviews

Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Whereas the samurai encapsulates the image of the pre-modern ideal of Japanese masculinity through his martial skill, stoic nature, self discipline, and code of honor, the yakuza, Japanese gangster, supposedly carries on a number of these traditions in the modern, or post-modern, world, especially the codes of honor and respect for not only his superiors but his inferiors. Wearing traditional Japanese garb, an expensive Western suit, or a loud aloha shirt, pockets full of money from sometimes questionable businesses, and carrying centuries of culture within his being, the yakuza has come to fascinate not only the Japanese populace, but the world at large through primarily his depiction in film and crime novels.

Shoko Tendo is the second daughter and third child of the yakuza oyabun, Japanese gang boss, Hiroyasu Tendo and she witnessed his great excesses and eventual downfall, but she was not involved in the gang herself and therefore is unable or not willing to expunge deeply upon the topic of her father's involvement with the yakuza, but instead writes on her life and how her father's being a yakuza would affect her life for years to come. It is for this very reason that I believe that a number of Western readers are disappointed with Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter. They are looking for a memoir that will feed into their cinematic/stereotypical ideals of what Tendo's life should be like, but instead they receive a thin tome written by a woman who suffered from continuous abuse at the hands of men who were yakuza and these men, instead of being paragons of virtue, Japanese tradition, and honor are alcoholic, cowardly dope fiends who beat on those weaker than them and cower from those who are stronger.

What Tendo gives the reader is a cathartic, honest account of a woman who is connected to the shady crime underworld and how it ostracizes her from mainstream Japanese society. Scoffed at by her teachers, neighbors, and classmates after her father is imprisoned, Tendo becomes a yanki, female delinquent and gang member, and finds herself growing addicted to a number of narcotics starting off with huffing paint thinner to injecting heroin daily all the while drifting from detention centers to abusive relationships. At times, it seems she finds peace, but eventually these fleeting moments are shattered by harsh reality.

Another criticism that I have read concerning the memoir is that it is poorly written, and that it seems like a sordid tale written by a grade-schooler. Tendo herself apologizes about the writing in the book's afterward stating that she has next to zero formal education (she nearly ceased doing school work after elementary school, having become a yanki at 12). Leaving the quality of writing behind, Tendo does have the tendency to foreshadow in a sophomoric way and her moralizing is a bit weak, but the bare bones honesty of a woman opening her heart to the reader makes the overall read overcome its limitations in craft. A fine memoir that attempts to shatter some of the stereotypes associated with the yakuza, Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter makes for a quick and enlightening read on the subject of the Japanese underworld.

A great read, was hard to put down once I got started. Not at all the type of life you would expect from a family that was once very powerful.

Her child hood bullying, drug use during her teen years, and horrible relationships with men in the past serve as a warning that just because a life style may appear to be glamorous does not mean that it is.

Told with shocking truth, Shoko Tendo's memoir is a great read.

Okay, so it didn't really talk about the Yakuza mobsters so much. Remember, it's a memoir of a gangster's daughter, so she's going to talk about how hard HER life was. it's a quick read, but an interesting one. It all depends on your taste. If you like reading about other people's lives, this is a good one. She's gone through so much, and she wrote about events that probably one wouldn't be too proud of writing about for the world to know. And that's courageous of her!

This was supposed to be a weekend business trip filler. It ended up just a 4 hour plane ride and a few more hours in the hotel. I gave it 4 stars though becasue I couldn't put the book down. But I am a voyeur and this book really delivers on the exhibitionism. This is really just a Jerry Springer story with a happy ending. However, I am a Japanophile, so this book held my interest more than the same story about a girl from say, Hamilton, Ohio would have. I met several girls like the author while living in Japan and I can say the story does ring very true. This is a great, fast read if you are into Japanese culture, otherwise you may find it a bit maudlin.

I expected an inside look at the Yakuza from the viewpoint of someone raised in that culture and in the family of a Yakuza boss, unfortunately this was not the case. This book is to those interested in the Yakuza what "Growing up Gotti" is to those interested in the history and culture of the Mafia in America.

That said, it is an accurate depiction of the life of a woman raised in a Yakuza family that falls from riches into poverty, a depiction of the stigma attached to the children of the Yakuza in Japan and the role of females in Japanese society, particularly the poor.

If your view of Japanese culture is based on an appreciation of Japanese art, architecture and philosophy then this book will be an eye opener to the reality of the common culture in modern Japan. Reading this book was for me like watching a train wreck in slow motion, it is a diary of habitual poor choices and bad decisions made by a young girl who was never equipped by her upbringing to make good ones.

I highly recommend this book to anyone raising a child as a "What not to do" guide, and a look at just how quickly a life can be ruined by lacking the self esteem that only parents can give children.

Yakuza Moon is an interesting book, it may not be the top of any literary prize list (which I will go into), but the topic is so utterly unique that it warrants reading. It's a solid, if short and occasionally confused memoir about a young womans life. Its connection to the Yakuza is from the womans point of view - in which case it shows how such a masculine group maintains control.

The book faces a couple of issues.
1 - culturally the Japanese do not talk about Yakuz, Hostess, Drugs etc in public. To publish ones memoir recounting such tales is therefore a complete novelty. In truth this book is a radical departure for Japanese literature.
2 - the woman passing on this tale is herself just as radical as her tale. To be tattoo'd, to be outcast, to suffer and strive - and to be open about it in a country notorious for keeping a very tight lid on the darker sides of its cultural heritage is daring.
3 - as novel as both those concepts are, the author writing in Japanese and translating to English may lose some of its edge, and where we expect humour or irony we may read only blank prose. This is the nature of translated literature in many cases, but when dealing in particular with such difficult subject matter you get the feeling it may be beyond the cultural barrier to make such a confident stride into an alien language.

What Alice Walker dealt with in The Color Purple, Shoko Tendo covers from her own perspective of a subjugation. In this case both a woman, and a Yakuza. As a true story, unlike the Color Purple, this book is even more hard hitting. There is no great poetic sentiment about it. this is literally just a recount of a young womans exceptionally hard (occasionally self inflicted) life.

This is an exceptionally brave book. It isn't well written, it's simplistic and it lacks depth at times when you wish you could find out more about those involved. At several points the book mentions people or events that quickly become lost, or are never mentioned again (leaving you to wonder what exactly was learned from the experience).

Despite this, or maybe even because of this, I'll give the book 4 stars and a recommendation for anyone interested in seeing another view of Japan - without the sterilised austerity campaign.

This book was a lot of what I was looking for. After reading the Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx I wanted another true life real and gritty and seedy story to sink my teeth into. This provided exactly that.

The story of a girl raised amid nasty people, money, drugs and pride. Too many drugs, too much sex and too many beatings all too soon. Rape/death/addiction/self destruction are all recurring themes. A traumatic life that parallels many people in America but I think is/was a rarer occurance overseas.

She tries to run then tries to embrace her legacy as a member of the greater Yakuza family and allows the reader to experience the changes in her life and thinking that bring her around full circle in many ways to face herself and her past.

Not very long, I read it all in under a week but it was well worth it.

I read this book in one go; considering I have never done that before, it says a lot for the intensity and breathtaking reality of the memoir. Though relatively short, it packs a powerful punch, an amazing debut. I was drawn into her story until I felt I was a part of it. The essence of a good writer is to be able to make that connection between reader and character, and Shoko Tendo has certainly done that. Way out of my usual genres, I was completely absorbed in her heart-wrenching memoir, an emotional roller-coaster told in a straight-forward, no-holds-barred manner. In the version I read, photos and a foreword have been added to the original publication. These contributed to the personality of Shoko.

Unfamiliar as I am with yakuza society (somewhat like a Japanese mafia), this book brought me into lifestyles I knew nothing about; I also learned to see a tattoo as a complete work of art, which in Japan it truly is. These tattoos are full-body canvases, extremely detailed and historical art. Shoko was the middle child in a family of three girls and a boy, her father a yakuza, in a life of plenty. Fearful of her father's rages, bullied at school, discriminated against and insecure, Shoko's lifestyle had already begun to change at the tender age of twelve when her older sister took her to a club and passed her off as 18. The next several years of her life are spent in drugged out sex, used and abused. When all goes wrong at home, her father resigns as a yakuza and is pursued by yakuza loan sharks. Shoko falls into the trap of one man, a former friend of her father. His false promises to help her father with his financial problems and his Jekyll and Hyde personality drags her deep into his net. Misguided in what is expected of her, she sinks deeper and deeper.

Shoko does not try to lecture in her book, but is faithful to her memories. She does not dwell on her situation but writes with an honesty and thoroughness that through her worst times I could feel the disassociation she finally reaches. Intense, poignant, numbed and broken, she lays it all on the line. Her emergence from this darkness is wonderful to read and shows the strength of her true character. This memoir is a real eye-opener of horrendous abuse and the intimidation that denies escape. Exceptionally well-written for a debut. I highly recommend this book.

this book is extremely simple in language and description. That makes it more personal and as she runs through her life, there is a certain closeness you feel to the author. Her experiences were extremely painful but somehow I drew strength and empowerment from the choices she made.

Someone else wrote that this book had a title misleading title. I would agree that is somewhat true, simply because I thought this woman took up the gangster way of life simply because the title said she is a gangster's daughter. It is still a very good book, a surprisingly good one, and a very sad one. If you are imagining a tattooed woman conducting high profile drug deals and stabbing guys in a meat storage facility, then you and I have similar imaginations. That's not what this book is about. This is instead about a woman's struggle to survive in a harsh world. The gangster part is relevant, but understand that the author's struggles are not unique to women born to gangster families.