The Secrets of Mariko: A Year in the Life of a Japanese Woman and Her Family | 
| Author: Elisabeth Bumiller
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 397342
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 4.9 x 0.9
ISBN: 0679772626
Dewey Decimal Number: 305
EAN: 9780679772620
ASIN: 0679772626
Publication Date: October 29, 1996
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Condition: Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy!
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Product Description
As it follows a Japanese housewife named Mariko Tanaka over the course of a year, The Secrets of Mariko transcends reportage to yield the kind of human insights we expect from literature. Meet Mariko, a cheerful, overscheduled woman who cares for three children, two aging parents, and an unresponsive husband. As readers watch Mariko take part in PTA meetings, bicker with her teenagers, and pursue independence through her part-time job, they come to see Mariko as someone whose dreams and disappointments mirror our own.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Enjoyable, but not nearly intelligent November 27, 2005
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book about Japanese society is written from the point of view of an American. It is highly readable and enjoyable, but here and there are typical American's biases. If you want to know why American's way of living is different from Japanese's, this is the book for you. If you want to know why Japanese's way of living is different from Americans, look for a more intelligent book.
 Excellent book May 9, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have just finished this book, and found it thoroughly enjoyable in a sober sense. Each chapter gave me something to think over; the book left me with a deeper understanding of Japanese culture and the way relationships are intertwined in that nation.
As I am studying Japanese, I may have found this book much more interesting than someone who has no particular interest in Japan. That said, if you have an open mind and interest in the culture, there's a good chance you'll love this book as much as I did.
At times, it seemed the author was a little too self-seeking. I would certainly hope she has kept in some form of contact with Mariko, and perhaps passed on some royalties from the book - given the massive amount of time Mariko and her family spent with the author (she did give Mariko's family a gift at the end, but to me that didn't seem enough).
Aside from that, the book was a real eye opener and I couldn't put it down.
Bear in mind the author spent time with Mariko between 1991-1992, so by now there will certainly be some cultural discrepencies and perhaps attitude changes.
A great look at the grass-roots... November 5, 2003
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
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.
Window into another lifestyle December 14, 2002
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book provides glimpses of the lifestyle of an average Japanese housewife. Written by a journalist rather than an anthropologist, the author explores the life and important events of Mariko over the course of a year. Through the author's interviews, we learn the history of the family and the views of Mariko, her husband and children on such topics as family life, parenting, and work. As a journalist, Bumiller is quite interested in Japanese opinions and attitudes about current events, so Mariko and her family explain some of their complex feelings about the U.S. We visit the children's schools and work places, and see where they go on vacation. Along the way, Bumiller also interviews prominent Japanese who are in some way connected to aspects of Mariko's life, such as politicians, the head of the mob, and a talk show host. By the end of the book, readers are familiar with many details of average Japanese family life, something that would be unattainable unless one were to either grow up in Japan or live for long enough in Japan to develop close friendships with locals. But even Bumiller points out that she has only scratched the surface, and there is much about Mariko's life that we can never comprehend just by reading a book.
A great book for those interested in Japanese culture July 1, 2002
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
True, this book is written from a Western perspective, but as most of the readers are coming from that same perspective, this did not bother me. This book examines the life of Mariko and her
family and gets beyond the surface to examine work, love, gender roles, growing up, school, traditions, and more in modern-day Japan. It is fascinating and will make you want to know more about Japan and Japanese culture.
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