Obachan: A Young Girl's Struggle for Freedom in Twentieth Century Japan

Kimberly

Rating: really liked it
A lovely memorial

This story is a loving memorial to a beloved grandmother from a granddaughter. It relates the struggles of a young Japanese girl struggling to find the freedom to escape the farm fields and continue her education. This is a very sweet story and most enjoyable.

Susan Curtis

Rating: really liked it
Hardworking girl forced into labor

I liked reading this book because it was a window into life in ruralJapan during the 1920’s and 1940’s. The granddaughter tells the story of her grandmother’s horrific life. Her parents and her employers treated her very badly and yet she achieved an education and children.

Robbyn Chalk

Rating: really liked it
Lovely story of the determined young girl. How times have changed, where a girl chooses her own destiny compared to being called selfish back in 1930s for doing so

Jennifer Lara

Rating: really liked it
Obachan: A Young Girl’s Struggles for Freedom in Twentieth-Century Japan by Tani Hanes is the story of her maternal grandmother, Mitsuko Hanamura. Born in 1916 in rural Japan, as the oldest girl of eight children and no money, she wanted very little in life. Just a place to call her own with a garden with lots of flowers and shelves full of books. A place where she could be alone, no need to share a bed, meal or clothes, with anyone. The only thing she could depend on was her clever brain and her determined spirit. She held her head high as she was sent to live with relatives at 13, hired out as a maid at 15 to pay off the family debt. She was desperate for an education, when she found a way to educate herself and leave the poverty behind. With so much against her, will Mitsuko find a way to break free and achieve her dreams?
From the very beginning I was drawn to Mitsuko’s story. From the countryside of Japan to war-torn Kawasaki, Ms. Hanes chronicles her grandmother’s journey as she fights for her dreams. Bound by the social expectations, Mitsuko secretly plots and searches for ways to escape to the life she has always dreamed of. Called ungrateful and selfish by her parents, Mitsuko’s spirit could have been beaten and broken by her lack of control over her very life. But she refused to give up. She would bide her time and wait until the moment is right to break free. And every time there was a roadblock to her plan, she would plan again. Nothing was going to stand in her way of achieving her dreams. I eagerly read as I wanted to learn if Mitsuko achieved her dreams. I loved her determination and tenacity and I loved that Ms. Hani included family pictures as she retells her grandmother’s story. I highly recommend Obachan.

Obachan: A Young Girl’s Struggle for Freedom in Twentieth-Century Japan
Is available in paperback and eBook

Marie

Rating: really liked it
Goals and Hope.

Amazing to think that my peers in Japan were growing up in such a totally different society with totally different beliefs, behavior code, expectations, dreams... It is easy to fault their attitudes towards women etc. but the training of their children esp. in manners and speech and their very high value on education could well rub off on the west! A fascinating look at how dreams give us hope and courage but we also need to be open to ideas on how to achieve and temper our goals. A fascinating story, although it ended abruptly.

Marsha Bentley

Rating: really liked it
The Sacrifices a Japanese Woman made for her Children

From humble beginnings, and an abusive home life, this intelligent young girl lived a life giving and taking care of others. Her dreams of an education and becoming a nurse were realized through her own skill and hard work. This is a must read! I think every teenager should read this story! Our young people take so much for granted and don't apply themselves. This book is a lesson in sacrifice and persistence.

Thank you for sharing the gift of your grandmother's life.

Ruth Cyr

Rating: really liked it
Beautifully written

I loved this book. I can relate some to Mitsuko in such away as wanting my independence my own little house and to be alone, but always feeling like you have to do the right thing that everyone else wants you to. I can say how disappointed I was with her parents. I know it was a different time and culture, but they really used her and abused her. I found her to be the least selfish person ever. She deserves a place in heaven. Not to sure about them.

John jones

Rating: really liked it
In a weird way, okay good read

I absolutely loved this book but thought it ended way to soon. Also. It seemed like one minute she was a maid, next she was going to school. Nothing of her experiences, how she felt,etc. Just like it hardly says anything at all of her relationship with her mother n law who lived her never mind the man she was married too. I'm thinking this is a starter Booker for writer.

Karen York-Fair

Rating: really liked it
An ode to loved grandmother.

Some stories just need to be told, this one was so tragic. From my viewpoint as a modern woman and an American, it is difficult to read of Mitsuko’s plight which was filled with utter disappointment as she struggled her entire life with horrible parents intent on using her as a slave for their own financial benefit. I do admire Mitsuko’s indomitable spirit. A story well told.

Victoria Gould

Rating: really liked it
I loved this book because it gives a glimpse of rural Japan in the '30s and onward. The main character's drive for a better life was a path full of determination. Even when things did not work out for her and things were tough she persisted. My heart ached for her. All I wanted was a traditional happy ending that she did not get unfortunately.

Kay

Rating: really liked it
A moving story of a young Japanese girl in 1920s Japan, when girls had so few rights. It is a story of determination, courage, and hard work. I lived in Japan for 1 ½ years. Though things are much better for women now, I still see traces of the old ways culture- a male dominated society. I was moved and inspired by this courageous young woman.

liz edwards

Rating: really liked it
Enjoyable interesting read

I whizzed through this story . It was an interesting tale of a woman's life, in a culture and time, where women and girls didn't have many of any rights over the direction of their lives.

Elvira P Johnson

Rating: really liked it
Kept waiting for a climax that never came

I found the story interesting, but more depressing and unsettling then I expected. I kept waiting for the story to climax or to lead into a more thought provoking ending. The ending seemed to come too soon and was quite ordinary in presentation.

Pam Funderburk

Rating: really liked it
Interesting look in to the life of a Japanese girl. As you follow her path you can see a journey that most American girls could no imagine.

See above as to what I liked. There was not much to dislike. The book is fairly short as most books go.

Natalie

Rating: really liked it
Another woman' struggle

It is interesting to know of the hopes and dreams of women in other parts of the world which are so much like our own. They may never come true, but they are there.