Edokko: Growing up a Stateless Foreigner in Wartime Japan

by Isaac Shapiro, T. Carpenter (Editor)

In 1926, professional musicians Constantine Shapiro, born in Moscow, 1896 and Lydia Chernetsky (Odessa, 1905) met and married in Berlin, Germany after their respective families had suffered continuous persecution in war-torn Russia, or the Soviet Union, as it was known after 1922.
With Hitler’s national socialism on the rise, remaining in Berlin was for the newly-weds out of the question and they decided to continue their odyssey, first to Palestine, then China, to ultimately spend the World War II years in the relative safety of Japan.
In 1931, they found themselves in Japan, where Isaac, son number four and author of this memoir, was born. A few years later, with World War II imminently looming, and the subsequent bombing of Pearl Harbor, their lives were disrupted once again.
In 1944, the Yokohama shore was banned for foreigners and the Shapiro family including their five children, were forced to move to Tokyo, where they survived endless hardships, among others the intensified strategic United States bombing campaigns on Tokyo. Operation Meetinghouse started March 9, 1945 and is regarded as the single most destructive bombing raid in human history. The Japanese later called the operation the Night of the Black Snow.
During the subsequent American occupation of Japan, 14-year-old Isaac, being multi lingual, was hired as an interpreter by John Calvin ‘Toby’ Munn, a United States Marine colonel, (later promoted to Lt. Gen.) who, when the war was over, paved the way for Isaac, or Ike as he soon became known, to immigrate to the United States. In the summer of 1946, Isaac landed in Hawaii, at the time a United States territory, altering the course of his life forever.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, History, Japan, Biography

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 10, 2009

Reviews

[jag · Rating 4 out of 5]

This autobiography is a glimpse into life in wartime Japan from a young Russian Jewish boy who grew up there. While the writing is a bit choppy, the story is engrossing. Isaac's family wandered into Japan to escape persecution in Europe and China. Eventually, his musician family found positions there and then were trapped and isolated by the outbreak of WWII. Living in Tokyo was challenging for food was scarce as the war progressed and the Americans increased their bombing of the city. At the end of the war, Isaac found work as a linguist with the U.S. Marines, with Col. Toby Munn who saw to it that Isaac came to Hawaii with him. There he enrolled in high school, graduated and went to Columbia, eventually working as an international lawyer. This is an amazing tale of an independent boy who had the courage to reach out and grab at life.

[BJ McSt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique Story

Wonderfully written story of the author's life and memories growing up in pre-WWII Japan and China. Simply and unaffectedly told, I very much enjoyed this story of the remarkable life of the author and his family. It is a unique perspective on the war and post-war years in Japan by someone with a more panoramic view of the people and events. Thank you, Mr. Shapiro, for sharing your story with us!

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting memoir and family history which spans Europe, Russia, China, Japan and the US.
I wish the author had included a few more details about sights and sounds in his daily life
in Japan. But overall, an interesting book.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. Story of a child of Russian Jewish parents who left because of the 1917 Revolution and went to Harbin, China and and later settled in Japan where the author was born. He lived through World War II in Japan. Absolutely fascinating accounts of that time period and what happened to him later.I would give it ten stars if I could. (He went to school in Yokohama exactly where I lived in 1952 in the fourth grade)

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly fascinating memoir about a Russian Jew's coming of age in wartime Japan. A great story, well told.

[Gabor Seprenyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never judge a book by its cover - says the wisdom. And it cannot be truer in case of this book, it has such a terrible cover. But the story is fascinating. It is about a stateless boy, a White Russian Jewish boy whose parents both came from high class prestigious families in tsarist Russia, but had to leave their homeland first due to pogroms and then the Bolshevik takeover and the following destruction. The family moves from country to country, Berlin, Paris, Tel-Aviv, Harbin, their paths are crossed by people like Rachmaninoff, Nabokov or Heidegger among others. Isaac, or Ike, one of the five boys end up being born in Tokyo and his life becomes intertwined with Japan for the rest of his life.
It is especially interesting and fascinating to read about life in Japan in the thirties and forties through the eyes of a complete outsider. It was interesting to read how foreigners lived in the militarising Japan and how everyday Japanese people tried to remain normal and human despite the country's spiralling into war.
The Shapiros, whose ancestry can be traced back to King David, is a real international, cosmopolitan family, at one point in history three brothers happen to serve in three different armies. Ike's journey leads to the USA, first military thanks to a generous Marines commander named Toby Munn.
The author is not a professional writer, so it is not professionally written, there are lot of repetitions, but overall, it is a very enjoyable book. I would have read more about his later career as a head of the Japan Society. The author met with (then) Crowne Prince Akihito, Emperor Hirohito, Soviet leader Gorbachev etc. but we don't get to know much about these meetings.
Anyway, anyone who has an interest in Japan or Japanese history, this book is highly recommended.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edokko is an accessible book about an extraordinary life. The protagonist is Japanese by birth, Russian by language and culture, Jewish by heritage, and American by choice. His experiences growing up in Japan during World War II make for fascinating reading. Although the writing style is unemotional and a bit cramped, I always wanted to know what was on the next page. I recommend the book to those who enjoy history and memoir.

[Carmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting and informative book, with personal detail brought alive by the author. I learned so much about the Asian side of WW2. A testament to hard work and determination in the face of adversity, by the author and all his family. A little dense in names of military members in Toxyo at the end of the war, but otherwise easy to follow. I would recommend this book to both history buffs and interested amateurs.

[Chris Bull · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Cinderella story

A Cinderella story. How a Jewish refugee becomes Horatio Alger. I read this as there are few tales by foreigners from the war years in Japan. Ike and his family survives and then thrives. Good Karma.

[Math · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this book down! Shapiro’s childhood in wartime Japan is so vivid—it’s like stepping into history. His journey from a stateless boy to working with the U.S. military is incredible. Highly recommend!

[Agnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting life story.

[Maryrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read plenty of WWII books, but never from the perspective of a foreigner living in Japan. Shapiro’s story is eye-opening, emotional, and full of unexpected twists. A fascinating read!

[Lily Brown]

Shapiro’s life is unreal—growing up Russian-Jewish in Japan, witnessing war, and finding a way to America. It’s inspiring, heartbreaking, and beautifully told. Loved every page!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually listened to the Audible edition, read by the author. Does not show up here.

[Aletha Pagett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the incredible story of the stateless author's life and accomplishments. An amazing life well lived.

[H.M. Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly fascinating!

[Sari · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating life and memoir! I was so pleased to receive a copy of the ebook through the Goodreads Giveaway program.

[robert mckenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read on an interesting little covered aspect of WW2