The Geographer

by Jim Riva

A geography professor from Oregon State University who has never been out of Oregon goes to Japan to teach world geography for two semesters on a program established by Japan's Ministry of Education to promote internationalization. Set in Kobe in 1994, the story culminates with the Great Hanshin Earthquake and registers a high reading on the Laughter Scale.

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

I'm an author and a humorist, not necessarily in that order. Although I was the class clown as a kid, I went on to become a serious student of philosophy – before coming to the philosophical conclusion that the best outlook on life is to take humor seriously. For me, that meant to deliver humor in the form of writing.

To put myself in an atmosphere more conducive for becoming a better writer, I left a small town in Illinois for New York City. After a couple of years there, I decided that a culture change would do me and my writing some good, so I headed for Kathmandu. Then I was all over the place, especially Asia.

I lived in Japan for fourteen years, taking off occasionally to other countries with my backpack for off-the-beaten-track traveling and off-beat writing. Then I returned to the States with my Japanese wife and soon had a daughter.

I wrote and self-published three novels and one book of humor under the name Soaring Sparrow Press (motto: Laughter is good for your health), and then I created Magic Carpet Publications (POOF!) to publish the Magic Carpet Trilogy. Information about my books is at my website.

Reviews

[Juliae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book while on a 3-week trip in Japan, and thought that the timing couldn’t have been better. It made me laugh out loud, and it was extra funny with a deeper understanding of Japanese culture. It had a good storyline, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you are familiar with Japan, definitely give this funny book a read.

[Paul Madsen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stupidest book I've read in many years

This is the worst story I've had the misfortune to wade through in years. Don't waste your time. Stay away.

[Joen Wolfrom · Rating 1 out of 5]

My husband heard an interview of this book's author by one our favorite radio talk-show hosts. He raved about this book, so my husband thought I would enjoy reading it.

I thought it would be such a great book, but it was a huge disappointment. The main character was an Oregonian who moved to Japan to teach geography at a high school after his wife died. Geography has little to do with this story.

It is perhaps a book that a man might enjoy, as it seemed to be a man's fantasy. I was going to stop reading about halfway through, but I plodded on until the end. With so many wonderful books in our midst, I am sorry to have foolishly wasted my reading time on this book.

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story had a lot of potential but was let down by the non-linear telling of it. Instead of jumping back and forth in time, a linear chronological storyline would have made this novel so much better (probably yielding almost two additional stars). The humor in the novel was quite good, although the extreme detail in the character's speech (written in Japanese and the rewritten in English) really invalidated some of the jokes. Overall, I'd say this author has potential but could use a stronger guiding hand to keep him focused.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny book!

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading on my Kindle.

[Mellie B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laugh-out-loud funny book!