Rating: 
Summary: Perfect.
Review: "Underground" is a strange animal. Murakami is known for his fiction, which is the stuff of seemingly straightforward stories interlaced with strange jaunts into the supernatural, the superreal and the just plain odd. From the historical and subterranean epic of "Wind Up Bird Chronicles" to the science fiction netherworld of "Hard Boiled Wonderland" to the intertwined, haunted love stories of "Wild Sheep Chase" and "Dance Dance Dance" to the seemingly straightforward "Norwegian Wood" and "South of the Border", Murakami has staked out a territory all his own, and erected an aura of genius that no one can penetrate. So, from out of the blue, he turns from fiction and gives us this document of the Tokyo subway sarin gas attack and does it in such a way that it all but confirms his place as one of the most valuable writers working today. "Underground" documents the coordinated efforts of members of the Aum cult to release Sarin gas on several subway trains in the midst of rush hour. Murakami takes what seems to be a roundabout approach and turns it into the very heart of the matter. Instead of clinically documenting each cult member's actions and the statistics of how many wounded and how many dead in a linear, start-to-finish timeline, Murakami tracks down those who were affected, from the relatives of the dead to those with minor side-effects, and interviews them not only about the attack and the effects it had, but how people reacted, how it changed their views on life and government and religion, and mostly, about the people themselves; where they work, what they do for fun, what kind of people they are. Murakami turns a true-crime document into a snapshot of Japanese life. Make no mistake though, this is a discomforting and, at turns, horrifying portrait of a seemingly pointless terrorist act. By not just focusing on the relatives of the dead or those left crippled or comatose, he shows us the downstream effect of this one act, of people who still can't avoid their blinding headaches, who cannot sleep without raging nightmares, who still cannot re-adjust to their normal lives because of the intrusion of these few moments. From train conductors to businessmen to students to himself, Murakami explores how all facets of Japanese life reacted to this crime and how it came to shatter people's idyllic visions of a calm and placid society free from the pointless violence that plagues the rest of the world. In the second half of the book, Murakami interviews former cult members and people who are still members and tries to understand what drew them into the cult in the first place. Exploring the roots of their disillusionment and the kernel of interest that drew them into Aum, Murakami explores their progression into the Aum cult as well as Aum's progression in Japanese society; how it grew from a few members to hundreds, how it expanded its operations and how it quickly imploded after the attack. Murakami does the seemingly impossible feat and allows us to see these members as people, first and foremost, and not just as a part of a faceless mob. "Underground" is distinctive in how effortlessly it reads, how seamlessly it blends from one story to the next, and how casually it draws lines of connection from one story to the next. Faceless bystanders and samaritans in one account can show up pages later to give their own point of view. Stories are corroborated and contradicted and the picture that emerges in the end is one with as much confusion and untold stories as the incident itself spawned. Murakami tells of how he was at home during the attack, how he found out through a TV broadcast, and how he came to write the book. What we're left with is a story of cultures, of ideologies, of opinions and observations. It's a rare book because the victims are allowed to tell their stories, even when they protest that their stories are not as important as others', because Murakami does not intrude with theories or arguments or condescending empathy, because people are treated as people, and not just as casualties or cult members. In the end, Murakami's book works so well because, to him, everyone's story matters, and every piece of information is another facet that constructs a life, a society, a crime and (cliched though it may be) the human condition. I don't think I've read a better book to come out this year....I don't think you will either.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: A book of interviews that interviews the survivors of the 1995 Tokyo gas attacks. This book interviews people on the trains, doctors, family members, and cult members to get to the bottom of what actually happened. Eventhough this book recaps alot of the same scenerios from different perspectives, it never gets boring. In fact, the opposite is true. I walked away from the book wanting more views, hoping maybe that I could make some sense of this tragedy. This book will deaply affect you and make you think of things a little differently. I have been a fan of Murakami's fiction for some time and was unsure of picking this title up. I am very glad that I did. Read this Book!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: A book of interviews that interviews the survivors of the 1995 Tokyo gas attacks. This book interviews people on the trains, doctors, family members, and cult members to get to the bottom of what actually happened. Eventhough this book recaps alot of the same scenerios from different perspectives, it never gets boring. In fact, the opposite is true. I walked away from the book wanting more views, hoping maybe that I could make some sense of this tragedy. This book will deaply affect you and make you think of things a little differently. I have been a fan of Murakami's fiction for some time and was unsure of picking this title up. I am very glad that I did. Read this Book!
Rating: 
Summary: Impressive tesserae of a sad incident.
Review: After spending much of his recent years abroad, Murakami says he went back to Japan primarily because of the haunting effects Kobe earthquake and Tokyo underground sarin attack had on him. In the novel he wrote during his self-imposed exile from his land, "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles", Murakami ponders the subterranean world that exists underneath modern Japan. Although "Underground" is a nonfiction book, mostly interview accounts of the tragedy, in a sheer naturalistic fashion typical of any Murakami work, a fascinating narrative and themes emerge. The first part of the book deals with the accounts of the victims and the relatives of the victims. At first, the stories seem a bit monotonous and quotidian. However, one gets a sense that Murakami, through these droning accounts, is not only sharing the actual event and its memories, but the lives of these ordinary people, and what happens to even the most ordinary of us. Some terrific and sad interviews emerge, especially the one that deals with a girl who's slipped into a coma, who's only gradually recovering. Murakami reconstructs his encounter with her without any patronizing or beatific sentimentality. The second part deals with the cult of Aum itself, as Murakami interviews the members of the cult. You get a sense that Murakami, even more than the ordinary victims of the sarin attack, tries to understand the members of the cult even more. Even though he unequivocally condemns the attack, Murakami paints a patient and empathetic picture of these members, outcast from the homogeneous Japanese culture, pursuing their independent vision of happiness. The characters of Murakami's books, the nature of his books, and even the author himself, are independent, always striving against the homogeneity of Japanese culture, not unlike the Aum cult members (if only in essence, not by means.) It's clear that Murakami empathizes with the cult members despite the horrible attack, and despite himself, and views the ordinary salarymen of the insular Japanese culture with a sardonic tilt of his head. It is this ironic dichotomy that informs and enriches, and adds subtext to an already fine book.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing personal insights on a terrible disaster
Review: Before reading Underground, I was relatively uninformed about the Tokyo subway gas attacks other than general information about Aum and the destruction they created. Having read the stories of the victims, I was able to appreciate how emotional and traumatic the events of that day were, and the effect of the gas attack on their lives from that day. I cannot imagine how horrific it must have been for the victims to see their everyday life crumble into chaos and death right before their eyes. The two parts of the book fit together nicely I think, and I like how Murakami was more hands-on with his interviews in the second half of the book, with the Aum members. The first part was interesting, especially the interviews of Shizuko Akashi and the relatives of Eiji Wada. The stoicism shown by the Japanese on the subways should be admirable, but I found it more alarming than anything else. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but so many people realized early on that something wrong was going on, but so few people reacted. Also alarming was the general inability of the authorities to handle the emergency situation. I found the interviews of the Aum and ex-Aum members to be interesting as well. Most of them were lonely and unsure of the big questions in life, and saw Aum as a solution. I was amazed at how many intelligent and logical people were lured in by Asahara's promise of spiritual freedom, which proved too good to be true. Underground was amazing because of Murakami's ability to get people to open up to him and he managed to keep each person's story short and sweet. I hope that no tragedy like this ever occurs in Japan or elsewhere, but if it does, I'm sure that people will be quicker to act next time and more lives will be saved.
Rating:
Summary: Murakami tells us about Real Japanese people
Review: Every time we watch a documentary on Japan we see the same stereotyped images. It doesn't matter how much the Land of the Rising Sun will change, the West seems very happy with the "Orientalist" image of geisha and samurai, and with a snapshot of salarymen walking quickly in a crowded street. Here's a book that will offer much much more on Japan, a masterpiece of the most original and intriguing voice of today's Japan. At first you think you're simply reading a great piece of journalism, but little by little the interviews with the victims of the sarin attack takes you to the womb of real Japan. The book literally "explodes in your hands" when Murakami introduces us to another series of interviews, this time with members or ex-members of the culprits' sect: AUM Shinrikyo. If you're interested in the Japanese, you can't afford to miss this book. Murakami told in a recent interview to an American weekly magazine that in Japan you're not supposed "to make waves". Here's another "tsunami" from him. Great job, Haruki-san!
Rating:
Summary: a many layered account of Japan and the Aum attack
Review: First off, I'm one of Murakami's biggest fans and every since Hard Boiled Wonderland have been a devotee. By now it should be obvious that this non-fiction is totally unlike anything he's written so far. It's not a fanciful novel (a la Wind up Bird Chronicle) nor a riveting short story collection (Elephant Vanishes), but rather a penetrating look at the modern Japanese psyche. As fans of Murakami know, he exiled himself from Japan for several years while he lived in Europe and the U.S. This wider perspective makes his insights into Japanese society even more interesting. I admit that I was just starting to get tired of reading the first half of the book which consists of first person retellings of their encounter with the deadly gas Sarin. But, there IS a point to all this -- it has the overall effect of an "everyman" trauma, almost Joycean in scope that can't be captured from a mere report or media take. Then, Murakami turns to his own thoughts and his interviews of Aum followers which is particularly interesting. In the end, I found this fascinating, but I do prefer his novels. Still, I applaud him for taking a risk and venturing outside his usual narrative space. Viva Murakami!
Rating: 
Summary: Moving and informative, but lacking background
Review: First, I must state that I am a huge fan of Murakami and consider some of his novels to be among the greatest literature of the twentieth century. "Underground" is a departure from his unique brand of fiction and is a unique brand of non-fiction. It recalls the Tokyo subway attacks of 1995 and the cult behind the attack, all from the point of view of victims and cult members. My problem with the book is that I read it without enough knowlege of the attacks and the cult, Aum Shinrikyo. Victim's accounts mention names and events that meant nothing to me. A preface would have been helpful; perhaps to preserve the tone of the book, it could have been culled from different press accounts or trial testimonies. What is excellent about this book is that Murakami's interviewing style is not like a reporter--he allowed all interviewees to review and edit their testimonies and if in the end any decided they didn't want their piece printed, he honored their wishes. What results is not lacking in impact. The victim stories, particularly the woman who is partially paralyzed and brain-damaged, are moving. The accounts of Aum members, on the other hand, are chilling. Even after all that happened (and the sarin attacks were only one of many of Aum's crimes), many of them still belong. Most of them just don't get that they were/are part of a destructive cult that used them as worker ants after robbing them of all their money. The book also gives insight into the Japanese mindset. As an American with no close Japanese friends, I was a little taken aback at some of the common reactions and beliefs stated in the book, such as people who have breathed sarin and can barely see or walk, and yet their only thoughts are "I have to get to work." A very good book, moving and informative. Two stars demerit because there is way too much that the author assumes the reader already knows. My guess is that the book was written for Japanese readers.
Rating:
Summary: Moving and informative, but lacking background
Review: First, I must state that I am a huge fan of Murakami and consider some of his novels to be among the greatest literature of the twentieth century. "Underground" is a departure from his unique brand of fiction and is a unique brand of non-fiction. It recalls the Tokyo subway attacks of 1995 and the cult behind the attack, all from the point of view of victims and cult members. My problem with the book is that I read it without enough knowlege of the attacks and the cult, Aum Shinrikyo. Victim's accounts mention names and events that meant nothing to me. A preface would have been helpful; perhaps to preserve the tone of the book, it could have been culled from different press accounts or trial testimonies. What is excellent about this book is that Murakami's interviewing style is not like a reporter--he allowed all interviewees to review and edit their testimonies and if in the end any decided they didn't want their piece printed, he honored their wishes. What results is not lacking in impact. The victim stories, particularly the woman who is partially paralyzed and brain-damaged, are moving. The accounts of Aum members, on the other hand, are chilling. Even after all that happened (and the sarin attacks were only one of many of Aum's crimes), many of them still belong. Most of them just don't get that they were/are part of a destructive cult that used them as worker ants after robbing them of all their money. The book also gives insight into the Japanese mindset. As an American with no close Japanese friends, I was a little taken aback at some of the common reactions and beliefs stated in the book, such as people who have breathed sarin and can barely see or walk, and yet their only thoughts are "I have to get to work." A very good book, moving and informative. Two stars demerit because there is way too much that the author assumes the reader already knows. My guess is that the book was written for Japanese readers.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: For those of you looking for more of Murakami's unique and wonderful writing style, you won't find it here. That is what makes the book so interesting. Murakami stays out of the subjects way and just lets them talk. It is their stories he is interested in, not his slant on their stories. This is a wonderful piece of sociology and, as he admits in the introduction, owes a great deal to Studs Terkel's "Working". I must admit I found the sameness of everyone's stories a bit repetitive yet necessary to illustrate what these people go through. The second section on the cult members is worth the price of the book alone.
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