My Narrow Isle: The Story of a Modern Woman in Japan

by Sumie Mishima

Genres: Japanese Literature

280 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1941

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a great find. This memoir by a Japanese woman was published in 1941. The first 2/3 of the book is an interesting and personal account of growing up in Japan (she was born about 1900)during the initial period of transition to western culture and her 5 years studying in the United States. Her comments on changing women's roles and on how Christianity was interpreted in Japan are particularly interesting. Chapters on her marriage and married life I found dull and nearly unreadable, but things perk up again when she describes "Marrying a Daughter;" the chapter could stand alone and read in class to illustrate the old and new in the late 1930's Japan. The final sentence in the chapter made me very sad - "For their sake I pray that no sudden social change may come in our life." The sentence was probably written about 1939 or 1940.