Rating: 
Summary: This books paints a truely accurate picture of Japanese.
Review: After having lived in Japan for almost twenty years it was a pleasure to read The Secrets of Mariko. Most books portray the Japanese with an overdose of stereotypes and generalizations so people who are not familiar with Japan can get innacurate ideas. By interviewing Mariko and her family and acquaintances in depth, the author of this book managed to come up with a fairly accurate portrayal of modern Japanese life. @@Even though the interviews took place in the early 1990's@and Japan has changed since then, a reader can get a pretty good idea of what life is like for many Japanese families today. Mariko's family situation is, of course their own and is unique in many ways. The family's attitudes and ideas, however are not unique. If a reader wants to get a good understanding on modern Japanese life this is an excellent book to read. @
Rating: 
Summary: Outside, looking in
Review: As much as the author's view on the complex dynamics of the Japaese appears simplistic and limited, nonetheless, her observations are keen and her articulation of her own reactions are flawless. This is not meant to be a judgemental account of the West looking at the East. Rather, it is a collection of one's own analysis and predilections of a society- an attempt at wrapping one's mind around an organic, enigmatic phenamenon. Thoughtful, genuine, true to the Asian experience that not all things can be said on the words of a page.
Rating:
Summary: Outside, looking in
Review: As much as the author's view on the complex dynamics of the Japaese appears simplistic and limited, nonetheless, her observations are keen and her articulation of her own reactions are flawless. This is not meant to be a judgemental account of the West looking at the East. Rather, it is a collection of one's own analysis and predilections of a society- an attempt at wrapping one's mind around an organic, enigmatic phenamenon. Thoughtful, genuine, true to the Asian experience that not all things can be said on the words of a page.
Rating:
Summary: a must read before traveling or living in Japan
Review: I read this book after living in Japan for two years, and I wish I had read it before I went. It gives true insight into the lives of most Japanese women, and how women in general are treated in Japan.
Rating: 
Summary: A Quality Read
Review: Like many African American women, I haven't had many intimate contact with women of Asian ancestry so I was really excited about this book when I found it at the local college library. The author does a fantastic job of observation into the life of a "typical" Japanese housewife. The book gave me a deeper understanding of one aspect of Asian culture that I couldn't have learned otherwise. At times, the reading lags a bit because of its ordinary-ness but at the same time it is the ordinary day to day struggles that Mariko encounters that makes the work so engaging. I recommend it highly to anyone that is willing to spend a day reflecting on something other than themself.
Rating: 
Summary: editing needed
Review: My main impression of this book is that it would have made an excellent (long) magazine article or series. It seriously needed some editing to hit the highlights instead of going on and on with details. For instance, the whole storyline of the trees being razed for a parking lot, and the way the author could never fully understand it, was quite tedious. That being said, I did read an advance copy of the book, so it may have improved before publication. (I still think it would have been better as an article) This book does provide a great peek into an ordinary life, and I've come away with a different view of certain aspects of Japan. I was surprised to learn of how the teenagers fight with their parents, and dismayed to see how much time the Japanese man spends at work instead of with his family (or anything else, for that matter).
Rating:
Summary: Western bias, but fascinating nonetheless
Review: Once I got past the fact that the author was hideously biased toward the whole Western career-woman concept, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found myself enchanted by the tiny details of Japanese family life that appear throughout the book, as well as the overarching story of Mariko's unfolding family dramas over the course of a year. It truly, truly helped me understand Japanese women and culture and resolved many of the things which had always perplexed me. The writing and the depth of the interviews are excellent, as is the author's eye for detail. My one aggravation was the author's Western bias. Despite spending a year with Mariko, she never seemed able to overcome her certainty that Mariko was oppressed, depite Mariko's insistence to the contrary. The misplaced pity she seemed to feel for Mariko was endlessly annoying, and I think that any Western woman who has made her family her "career", like me, will resent the author's careerist attitude. Nevertheless, she is a talented writer with an excellent subject, and the bias doesn't detract too much from the excellent quality of the book.
Rating:
Summary: A great look at the grass-roots...
Review: The best books about other cultures are those that start at the bottom and work up. In this book Elisabeth Bumiller interviews a Japanese women and her family, friends and others linked to the family to give a very detailed picture of a Japanese family from 1991 to 1992. We get to join festivals, sit in at PTA meetings, visit mobsters, learn about local politics, find out what family issues the Japanese have and even the family's view on America and international events.
NOTE: The author has very strong views of her own and will state them, but don't let that get in the way of the rest of the book. She digs up a LOT of information and makes it clear that while the Japanese might have different ways of thinking or doing stuff, they do have some of the same goals, dreams and fears.
Rating:
Summary: A great look at the grass-roots...
Review: The best books about other cultures are those that start at the bottom and work up. In this book Elisabeth Bumiller interviews a Japanese women and her family, friends and others linked to the family to give a very detailed picture of a Japanese family from 1991 to 1992. We get to join festivals, sit in at PTA meetings, visit mobsters, learn about local politics, find out what family issues the Japanese have and even the family's view on America and international events.
NOTE: The author has very strong views of her own and will state them, but don't let that get in the way of the rest of the book. She digs up a LOT of information and makes it clear that while the Japanese might have different ways of thinking or doing stuff, they do have some of the same goals, dreams and fears.
Rating: 
Summary: American Arrogance
Review: The book is written by a woman who is 100% certain that American women and families have better lives than Japanese. She ignores what is good about Japanese society, mostly because she just isn't very interested. She approaches her subject, believing in advance that what she wants to communicate is that Japanese women are down-trodden. As someone who has lived in Japan, this book made me embrassed to be an American. But fortuantely I remember we are not all insufferable xenophobes like this author. Read the book if you like, but beware it is written from a single, very closed-minded perspective.
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