How Do You Live?
- Downloads：6220
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-11-15 01:21:22
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Genzaburo Yoshino
- ISBN：1616209771
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Le Duong
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amazing book xx i am on my own journey of figuring out myself and， simultaneously， helping （or at least i hope i am truly helping） others on their own journeys。 this book puts into words my true feelings and intuitions and everything that i have known， have experienced - that did not， at the time of its occurrence， fit into narratives already existing in my mind - into words， and i cant thank that enough。 i am 18， and i wanna be a teacher， and this book has really substantiated my career aspirat amazing book xx i am on my own journey of figuring out myself and， simultaneously， helping （or at least i hope i am truly helping） others on their own journeys。 this book puts into words my true feelings and intuitions and everything that i have known， have experienced - that did not， at the time of its occurrence， fit into narratives already existing in my mind - into words， and i cant thank that enough。 i am 18， and i wanna be a teacher， and this book has really substantiated my career aspiration。 it is so important for young humans， as they are growing up， to have （a） mentor（s）， whether it is their family， their friends， their teachers or their books。 and for those that do not have those mentors readily accessible in their life， i hope to become one for them， because my mentors have helped so much， and i have seen others making leaps in thinking thanks to the presence of a mentor in their life。 some books can be great mentors too， and in the end， whether someone makes a great mentor for you， that must come from your own heart xx 。。。more
Miriam
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This book was originally written as an ethics textbook， and you can tell。 Hopefully Miyazaki will make the story come to life more， but this is just very slow and moralizing。
Melanie Ottino
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*3。5-4cozy and sweet， an overall heartwarming read felt very similar to some of Gaiman’s writing， but lacked the extra lil something Very enjoyable though！
Hifni Taufik
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I don’t hate this book， I quite enjoyed it。 However， some parts definitely feels a little too “preachy”？ “Lecture-y”？ Nevertheless it’s a good children’s book。 A child can read this and take a lot of good life lessons from it。
Vivek Mahapatra
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Like Mr Gaiman says in his excellent foreword， this book seems to have digressions pulling away from the plot but this serves to enhance the book rather than detract from it。 In reviewing my experience of reading the book， it is tempting to classify it into the naturally delimiting parts of Copper's life and his Uncle's impressions on it。 However， I found myself relating to the both of them， as I suspect Uncle would as well。Copper's slice of life serves up important questions about humanity and Like Mr Gaiman says in his excellent foreword， this book seems to have digressions pulling away from the plot but this serves to enhance the book rather than detract from it。 In reviewing my experience of reading the book， it is tempting to classify it into the naturally delimiting parts of Copper's life and his Uncle's impressions on it。 However， I found myself relating to the both of them， as I suspect Uncle would as well。Copper's slice of life serves up important questions about humanity and Uncle's digressions serve to explain what one might discover in the pursuit of an answer。 The book seems to end on a loaded title drop， as the book does espouse a strong humanist position。 I don't think it forces us to look in a particular direction though。 I feel like it reveals some essential truths about being human。The mystic chords which bind us are stronger than the constructs which seek to divide us。 This is an excellent book which would foster thoughtfulness and kindness to others and oneself。 Plus， turn of the century Japan is really charming， and everyone is just adorable。 。。。more
Marie Kwan
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 How do you live is narrated by Copper， a boy growing up in Japan centered around him and his group of friends at school and letters from his uncle mentor。 Genzaburo Yoshino explores human character， relationships and morals weaving through topics that you won’t usually associate together such as astrology， Napoleon and human history to write a beautiful story that I think is still very relevant for kids growing up today。
Liz （Quirky Cat）
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tMany people in my generation grew up adoring Hayao Miyazaki's works。 That's no secret。 Now， one of Miyazaki's favorite childhood books has finally been translated to English – and readers get to experience that for the first time。 How Do You Live？ was written by Genzaburo Yoshino and translated by Bruno Navasky。 Oh！ And Neil Gaiman wrote the forward。 Nice touch， right？tCopper is a fifteen-year-old boy going through the grieving process after losing his father。 This process is never easy， and Co tMany people in my generation grew up adoring Hayao Miyazaki's works。 That's no secret。 Now， one of Miyazaki's favorite childhood books has finally been translated to English – and readers get to experience that for the first time。 How Do You Live？ was written by Genzaburo Yoshino and translated by Bruno Navasky。 Oh！ And Neil Gaiman wrote the forward。 Nice touch， right？tCopper is a fifteen-year-old boy going through the grieving process after losing his father。 This process is never easy， and Copper must come to terms with everything happening in his life – including his own actions。tCopper's narrative is balanced out by journal entries written by his uncle， a man who openly offers encouragement and advice to young Copper。t"But between the people who produce things over and above what they consume， and send them out into the world， and the people who don't produce anything and who do nothing but consume， which are the great human beings？ Which are the important human beings？ If you ask yourself this， it's not much of a puzzle， is it？"tHaving finally read How Do You Live？， I can now see why so many readers found it to be so formative and foundational。 It is a brilliant read that I wish had been available to me when I was younger。 It would have meant a lot then。 It still means a lot now， of course， just in a different way。tThere are so many life lessons tucked into these pages。。。 it's borderline overwhelming。 But I mean that in a good way。 There's so much thought and intention that went into this story， it's impossible to do anything other than appreciate it。tIf you're looking for a poignant and heartfelt read， look no further。 How Do You Live？ is going to be a read that leaves an impression on your heart; that much is certain。tThanks to Algonquin Young Readers and #NetGalley for making this book available for review。 All opinions expressed are my own。 Read more reviews at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks> 。。。more
Kaila
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Taken best as a whole。 I had a hard time getting into it until I gave it a few uninterrupted hours of reading， and then I enjoyed it much more。 A chapter here or there at bedtime was proving to be boring and uninteresting。Reminded my of my favorite book， The Little Prince。 I can't wait to see what Miyazaki does with it。 Taken best as a whole。 I had a hard time getting into it until I gave it a few uninterrupted hours of reading， and then I enjoyed it much more。 A chapter here or there at bedtime was proving to be boring and uninteresting。Reminded my of my favorite book， The Little Prince。 I can't wait to see what Miyazaki does with it。 。。。more
Rich in Color
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Review copy: ARC via publisherWe review young adult books here and this one kind of crosses lines。 The publisher is recommending it for ages 10-14 so they seem to have it in the middle-grade range。 I know many readers “read up” and will with this one， but I think this is one that many teens are going to grab for the connection with Hayao Miyazaki。 That’s why it initially appealed to me。 The main character is 15 and the content leans toward the philosophical with much to ponder for an older reade Review copy: ARC via publisherWe review young adult books here and this one kind of crosses lines。 The publisher is recommending it for ages 10-14 so they seem to have it in the middle-grade range。 I know many readers “read up” and will with this one， but I think this is one that many teens are going to grab for the connection with Hayao Miyazaki。 That’s why it initially appealed to me。 The main character is 15 and the content leans toward the philosophical with much to ponder for an older reader。Copper wonders about a lot of things in his world and is beginning to see himself as a small part of the world rather than the center of it。 He’s noticing how people are interconnected and in relationship with one another rather than simply individuals making their own way through life。 This is an interesting tale meandering through questions about life， what it means to be human， and how to engage with those around us as we contribute to the shaping of our world。Recommendation: This will be a nice book for anyone who enjoys contemplative works or is a fan of Miyazaki’s movies。 Not a lot happens in the book， but it tackles a lot of big ideas。 。。。more
Xia
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I really hope Miyazaki does a better treatment with the material than what the author was able to provide。The book's rough format follows Honda Ju'ichi， nicknamed Copper， experiencing early life with his friends Mizutami， the pretty boy， Kitami， the scrappy one， and Uragawa， the 'poor'， bookended with a lecture by his uncle repeated ad nauseum with each subsequent chapter。 The first story covers Copper's realization of a larger world view， the second of the bullying of a middle-class child who i I really hope Miyazaki does a better treatment with the material than what the author was able to provide。The book's rough format follows Honda Ju'ichi， nicknamed Copper， experiencing early life with his friends Mizutami， the pretty boy， Kitami， the scrappy one， and Uragawa， the 'poor'， bookended with a lecture by his uncle repeated ad nauseum with each subsequent chapter。 The first story covers Copper's realization of a larger world view， the second of the bullying of a middle-class child who is labeled "poor" by the standard of his well-to-do school， the third of a new year's party discussing Napoleon and a pact to stay together despite threat of future bullying， the fourth of Copper abandoning said pact when actually confronted with bullying， the 5th on dealing with the guilt and pain and acceptance， the 6th on forgiveness by his friends， and the 7th on some sort of universalism centered around Buddha statues。There's something unsettling and overbearing in this book that I can't quite put my finger on but let's see if we can get there。 Giving the author the benefit of the doubt， the writer may have sincere intentions but it doesn't come across to the reader as so。 Yoshino's manner of flourishing assertions posing as suggestion belie an ill-disguised attempt at preaching passed off as a book。 Feeling halfways a try at sermonizing and halfways a try at writing a children story， the stories ends up coming off lackluster in both。 The repeated phrases of "becoming a good person" or "a great man" leave a cloying， sacharine taste not unlike that of the the cough syrup that the reader's is forced to swallow just to flip to the next page。Structurally this book is beyond flawed。 One， no middle school student， or high school student （Katsuko） for that matter， will ever start discussing Napoleon's battle across the Danube at a New Year's Eve party。 Second， Copper's non-sequitur to mention his grand idea of milk-powder conception with his uncle， just to have Copper's uncle introduce economic theory like Relations of Production reads more like an debt contract from the IMF than a children's story。 It reeks of a poorly constructed plot device devised to serve no other purpose than to introduce Relations of Production and economics。 Third， the badly inserted non-sequitur at the end of the baseball game cheering sequence， likewise leads up to an unrelated lecture on Newton which was an even more contrived way of saying， "the last chapter of plot you read didn't matter and was only there serve as another artificial plot device"。 There seems to be a repeating theme here。 It almost as if this book was written to expound on unrelated morals with a story tacked on as an after thought。 If one could excuse the horrible structure one then comes to face the moralizing itself。 At some point， the uncle， the mouthpiece of this story's morals outright says， "When you are older， two fields that you will most likely have to study are economics and sociology" meanwhile repeating phrases like "being a good person" or "become a great man"。 It wouldn't so bad if it didn't directly contradict the core principle of the field in question。 In this case， sociology。 As Max Weber， the father of the sociology opines， "it is not true that good can follow only from good and evil only from evil， but that often the opposite is true。 Anyone who fails to see this is， indeed， a political infant。" And that could be fine， if this book's target audience were infants， which it's not。It all comes to a head as I am personally faced with the reality behind the author's posited ideals。 I think of all my extended friends and family that faced the atrocities of Japan， the horrible rapes and murders in the countryside， the emotionless cleansing purges in the cities。 Hell， even a former Prime Minister of Singapore like Lee Kuan Yew barely escaped by the skin of his teeth whilst the many less lucky， all the the able-bodied men and children， were executed by the tens of thousands on the shores of Singapore's beaches。 Let's leave it at that。And yet， I love Miyazaki。 He is the only reason I know about this book in the first place。 Staging the eternal conflict and the accord struck by the conflict between the gods， the powerful， and the all too human in Princess Mononoke。 。 。 Even as a child， not really understanding， really， what was going on， the way I drowsily watched the movie close with the girl going "I love you 。 。 。 but I can't forgive the human race。" The boy without hesitation saying， "Then live in the the forest， and I'll live in the iron works 。 。 。 Together， we'll live。" And they just separate and the movie ends。 That moment haunts me to this day。 The girl not getting the boy。 The incomplete story。 The peace in the center of chaos。 That one moment in my unconscious 4-year-old mind opened a world of complexity that nothing in the Occident has even cared to approach。 It just showed。 It didn't tell。 So that's why I can't for the life of me figure out why Miyazaki would sign up to produce a ham-fisted tell-tell-tell preacher's book like this。 I'm not sure even Miyazaki's magic can save this。Confronted with the irony of a book that attempts to sell itself as an educational text for future generations of Japan without confronting it's own structural and historical past， the whole effort seems laughable。 Seeing how Japan's education system， corporate governance， and government were forcibly copy-pasted from the American education system， economic system， and government system as terms of that unconditional surrender， I can see where the author gets his cognitive dissonance from。Overall， the book reads like a schizophrenic talks。 There are things that the author doesn't fact check which are factually false， that I don't care to get into here。 It doesn't take it's own advice of "drinking water" without explaining what water is， and while I sincerely hope Miyazaki comes up with a better treatment of the material than what the author was able to come up with， with such a shoddy script， I just can't see how。 。。。more
Sarah
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4。5 stars！ This one got a bit slow for me at times， but the fact that it was Miyazaki’s favorite childhood book is enough for me to love it！ So much to sit with and contemplate in this story。
Jenny （ofproseandspells）
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"The most important thing— more than what other people think， more than anything— is that you should first know for yourself， truly and deeply， where human greatness lies。"Are there any Studio Ghibli fans here？ Did you know that Hayao Miyazaki would be basing his next film on this novel？ After finishing it， I can understand why。How Do You Live？ by Genzaburo Yoshino was not just a story of a pre-war schoolboy in Japan dealing with friendship and bullying; but also it talked about human connection "The most important thing— more than what other people think， more than anything— is that you should first know for yourself， truly and deeply， where human greatness lies。"Are there any Studio Ghibli fans here？ Did you know that Hayao Miyazaki would be basing his next film on this novel？ After finishing it， I can understand why。How Do You Live？ by Genzaburo Yoshino was not just a story of a pre-war schoolboy in Japan dealing with friendship and bullying; but also it talked about human connections as well as raised questions to ourselves about what it meant to be a truly good human。This book was full of wisdom; it discussed quite range of topics: science， philosophical questions， and ethics that we normally did not notice or choose to ignore in our everyday busy life。 I was surprised how these topics still remained timely and relevant even when this novel had been written for quite a long time now。 I was glad that I was able to read this at this age for it would be confusing for my young self。I honestly enjoyed the voices of Cooper， our main protagonist， and his Uncle。 The interactions and dialogues between the wise Uncle and the innocent Cooper were engaging。 Cooper's journey as the seasons changes was portrayed realistically。 Slowly I witnessed his growth， felt his emotions， and saw his regrets， but despite all that hope still remained。Overall， How Do You Live？ was such a wonderful， compelling read。 This is a slow-paced book but reading this was definitely worth it。A big thanks to @algonquinyr and @netgalley for the DRC。 Opinions expressed in this review are my own。 。。。more
ammreads
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This book didn’t really live up to the hype for me。 Had a hard time just forcing myself to finish through with it
Kim
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Philosophy for younger readers， but I think， too， it is not age specific。 In some ways I was reminded of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenace， although this book felt calmer and more peaceful。 It’s a unique book， and not for all readers， but definitely will provide food for thought and consideration。 15 year old Copper （ short for Copernicus） is questioning and considering life as he knows it。It’s a book with little true action， but much cerebral thought as Copper contemplates his own friend Philosophy for younger readers， but I think， too， it is not age specific。 In some ways I was reminded of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenace， although this book felt calmer and more peaceful。 It’s a unique book， and not for all readers， but definitely will provide food for thought and consideration。 15 year old Copper （ short for Copernicus） is questioning and considering life as he knows it。It’s a book with little true action， but much cerebral thought as Copper contemplates his own friendships。 。。。more
Iris
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31%， b&w morality
Aaron Wolfe
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This book gave me the same feeling I got from watching Ted Lasso。 It is full of goodness and timeless ideas about how humans should live。
Maria
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How do I live now after reading this book without wanting to write a 10 page essay about everything I learned from it？Such a wonderful balance between a boy's coming of age story and his uncle's deep philosophical advices。Considering the target audience for this book I was so impressed with the amount of knowledge that was shared for the young readers。This was such a rich experience for me and I will definitely came back to this book。Now all I need in my life is for Hayo Miyazaki to adapt it int How do I live now after reading this book without wanting to write a 10 page essay about everything I learned from it？Such a wonderful balance between a boy's coming of age story and his uncle's deep philosophical advices。Considering the target audience for this book I was so impressed with the amount of knowledge that was shared for the young readers。This was such a rich experience for me and I will definitely came back to this book。Now all I need in my life is for Hayo Miyazaki to adapt it into a Studio Ghibli movie and it will be a full circle。Probably I won't stop gushing about "How Do You Live？" to every single person I will have a discussion for a long while。 。。。more
Christina
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First published in 1937， Genzaburō Yoshino’s How Do You Live？ has long been acknowledged in Japan as a crossover classic for young readers。 How Do You Live？ is narrated in two voices。 The first belongs to Copper， fifteen， who after the death of his father must confront inevitable and enormous change， including his own betrayal of his best friend。 In between episodes of Copper’s emerging story， his uncle writes to him in a journal， sharing knowledge and offering advice on life’s big questions as First published in 1937， Genzaburō Yoshino’s How Do You Live？ has long been acknowledged in Japan as a crossover classic for young readers。 How Do You Live？ is narrated in two voices。 The first belongs to Copper， fifteen， who after the death of his father must confront inevitable and enormous change， including his own betrayal of his best friend。 In between episodes of Copper’s emerging story， his uncle writes to him in a journal， sharing knowledge and offering advice on life’s big questions as Copper begins to encounter them。 This first-ever English-language translation of a Japanese classic about finding one’s place in a world both infinitely large and unimaginably small is perfect for readers of philosophical fiction like The Alchemist and The Little Prince， as well as Miyazaki fans eager to understand one of his most important influences。I’m halfway done with this book and I’m completely infatuated with this story！ It is simply divine and full of wisdom for young people to grasp ahold of and live life with completeness。 The advice given is wholesome， and it shares how young people should grab life and their mistakes and just explore to the best of their ability in a way that pushes them to be their best no matter what。 We are all going to mess up in life， but what you do with those mistakes are what makes you。 This book is a great read for serious readers and serious minds who want to level up by pushing boundaries and exploring what the world has to offer。 Highly recommend！！ Update: Finally finished this book， and I really enjoyed it！ The book is basically a conversation between Honda Jun’ichi （nicknamed Copper by his Uncle） who is sharing moments of growing up with his uncle who has taken it upon himself to ensure Copper’s father’s last wish for his son comes true。 His father wanted Copper to become a good human being。 Copper’s uncle writes lessons， notes and advice to his nephew in a maroon colored notebook and presents it to Copper while he’s in Junior High School。 These lessons and advice is really detailed and shares with Copper the importance of how to be a good human being and contribute to society instead of being a loaf and unproductive。 The uncle also praises and questions Copper’s behavior whenever it’s needed， to help guide Copper to the right answers， but stops short of telling Copper what to do。 The uncle wants Copper to really understand and reflect on what he’s experiencing so that Copper can learn for himself how to handle certain situations with the best intentions。 Copper is a mischievous young man who has natural curiosities， but also wants to live up to his dad’s final wishes for him。 Copper is self-reflective， curious， friendly， hesitant， and joyful 15 year old， who faces life and problems with open eyes and a warm heart。 He has sympathy for those who are weaker or those who don’t have great affluence， but seeks to bond with those who are like-minded and amicable。 As he goes through his days he looks at his uncle with a sort of reverent respect and takes his advice or seeks his counsel when needed。 We learn that Copper’s dad passed away， and so his uncle has taken it upon himself to step up and provide fatherly advice and be a role model to Copper as he’s coming up in age。 How Do You Live？， first translated in this edition to English， is a quite serious novel for young adult readers， especially Middle Grade readers。 The conversations and notes from his uncle can be a bit cumbersome for a teen to get through this book and still find it interesting to read。 Though it has good points and advice to young people growing up and how they move in this world and interact with others， the lessons can be seen as confusing or too advanced for a teenager who isn’t that serious about life just yet。 However， I do appreciate the fact that the uncle is trying to ensure that Copper has a good foundation to learn from and has a place to speak his mind without any retaliation。 I can definitely see how this book is a classic among the Japanese because they are always so mindful about how they show up in the world。 However， I believe this book may be a bit advanced for some teens because the lessons/advice from the uncle could be seen as too mature/advanced for kids Copper’s age。 Overall though， if you have a teen who is serious about living life as a decent human being and is curious about how to proceed in sticky situations， this book is right up their alley。 4。5 stars。 Thank you to Algonquin Young Readers for this book in exchange for an honest opinion and review。 。。。more
BiblioBrandie
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Neil Gaiman provides the foreword and I thought this was perfect:“This is such a strange book， and such a wise book。 I wish I had been given it as a small boy， but I suspect I would have found it puzzling or even dull: a book-length essay about how we live our lives。。。”There are some thought-provoking and beautiful passages， but I wonder if middle grade students will fully grasp the meaning。 It took me a long time to get through this one， it's not a page turner but I enjoyed living in the world Neil Gaiman provides the foreword and I thought this was perfect:“This is such a strange book， and such a wise book。 I wish I had been given it as a small boy， but I suspect I would have found it puzzling or even dull: a book-length essay about how we live our lives。。。”There are some thought-provoking and beautiful passages， but I wonder if middle grade students will fully grasp the meaning。 It took me a long time to get through this one， it's not a page turner but I enjoyed living in the world of a 15-year-old boy during pre-war era in Japan。 The translator’s note really tied it all together for me and provided necessary historical context。 He explained that the author， Yoshino， spent 18 months imprisoned for speaking out against the government。 He was later hired to write an ethics book for children but realized a 300 page textbook would be too dull so he wrote this book。 The translator said， “It’s beautiful in a particularly Japanese way" and I couldn't agree more。Since Hayao Miyazaki is making this into a film， I am sure there will be interest and I look forward to hearing from students their thoughts on the book。 。。。more
JunRong Ng
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Finished this book in tampines library level 6， on a Tuesday， after having breakfast at Ah Khoo。 Fantastic book， I’ve learnt so much from Genzaburo Yoshino。 On ways of looking at things - Copernicus - free yourself from a self-cantered way of thinking， discard the human tendency to not form judgements， question assumptions， step outside of oneself and make correct judgements。 On true experience - make a habit of thinking honestly， with your own experience as a foundation。 attend to things you fe Finished this book in tampines library level 6， on a Tuesday， after having breakfast at Ah Khoo。 Fantastic book， I’ve learnt so much from Genzaburo Yoshino。 On ways of looking at things - Copernicus - free yourself from a self-cantered way of thinking， discard the human tendency to not form judgements， question assumptions， step outside of oneself and make correct judgements。 On true experience - make a habit of thinking honestly， with your own experience as a foundation。 attend to things you feel in your own heart， things that move you deeply。 that is what is most important， now and always。On human relationships and the nature of real discoveries - nothing more beautiful that people nurturing goodwill towards their fellow beings， not lose the spirit that wake you in the middle of the night， to follow your own questions wherever they lead。On poverty and humanity - to lead a life of poverty is often to go about one’s life feeling inferior to others。 we must live with only our value as human beings in mind， not thinking we are unimportant if we happen to be poor or that we are great because we lead a wealthy life。 It’s not okay to ignore the fragile spirits of those in poverty。 Sad truth is that in today’s world （1937）， the people who will be in the most trouble if they get hurt are the people who are in the greatest danger of getting hurt。 The poor， living from day to day on the work of their bodies。 Poor-quality food， unsanitary living conditions， and on top of that， work day after day。 Even the hope that the next day will bring freedom from exhaustion is an inconceivable luxury。 In such a life one is pursued by work constantly。 We are human beings， so if we can’t all live a life that is really human， something is wrong。 A society that doesn’t allow that is wrong。 Our society is not there yet。 On producers vs consumers - Of all the things that all of us need to live， every one is the product of human labour。 Without the labour of those people， we would have no civilisation， and without that， there would be no progress for society。 And what about you？ What will you create？ You take many things from the world， but I wonder what you will give back in return？ You and your classmates ought to have humble respect for Uragawa， who， even if he can’t change his station， has， without complaint， taken on a great responsibility in helping with his family business。 To mock that from your social position， even for a moment， is to not know your own place and is a great error。 On what makes a great person - ask what did they accomplish using these extraordinary abilities？ no matter what things those extraordinary people did， they were exceptionally fleeting， unless their work was firmly bound to the current of the stream of humanity。 Consider the tens of thousands of years of the long， long history of progress of the human race。 No matter the hero， all of them were born during this long， long march of human history and will die within it as well。 Many small， virtuous people have the best intentions but who cannot realise them， all because of weakness。 The world is full of people who are not bad， but weak， people who bring unnecessary misfortune upon themselves and others for no reason but weakness。 A heroic spirit that’s not devoted to human progress may be empty and meaningless， but goodness that is lacking in the spirit of heroism is often empty as well。 On human troubles， mistakes， and greatness - As we move through our lives， we all encounter sadness， hardship， and pain， each in our own way。 Those are nothing’s anyone ever wishes for。 But it is thanks to sadness， hardship， and pain that we come to know what a true human being is。 When we feel pain， the pain is telling us that conditions are not normal in our bodies。 No doubt that everyone wants to avoid pain， but it’s something we should be grateful for， something we need。 Among all those miseries， there’s one that pierced our hearts most deeply， that wrings the bitterest tears from our eyes。 It’s the awareness that we have committed a mistake that we can’t go back and fix。 It’s truly painful to admit one’s own mistakes。 Most people think up any excuse they can to avoid it。 However， to recognise it bravely and to suffer for it is something that in all of heaven and earth， only humans can do。 As long as we are human， we all make mistakes。 Can’t we always draw fresh confidence from these painful thoughts in return？ After all， it’s because we have the power to walk the path of justice that we also experience this pain。 We have the power to decide on our own who we will be。 Therefore， we can also recover from mistakes。 “But， Jun’ichi， the memory of the stone staircase is not a bad memory for me。 Without the memory of those stone steps， I wouldn’t have been able to encourage the good and beautiful things in my own heart to grow and become what they are now。 If i didn’t have that memory， I might not have realised for a long time after how each and every event in our lives happens once only and will never be repeated。 How we have to work to nurture that which is good and beautiful in our own hearts。 So i think that what happened on those stone steps was not a loss。 I was sorry， but I also learned something essential about how to live。 and also， i learned to deeply appreciate the kindness of others。” - Copper’s Mum Memory of the stone staircase was a time when Copper’s Mum met an elderly lady climbing a stairs to a temple while holding a bag。 She kept hesitating to reach out， wanting to help the elderly to carry the bag， but end up not having the courage to do so。 Wonderful book full of life lessons。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Cassie | The_BookSandwich
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Lyrical and philosophical， this little book packs quite a punch！ {Thank you Algonquin YR for the gifted book！}I loved the beautiful way Neil Gaiman introduced the book and called it strange but wise - that is such an apt description！ The chapters alternated between the uncle’s journal entries and Cooper’s gentle observations about life lessons。 It’s definitely a story to take your time with and let it settle into you。 Very moving and thought-provoking。
Nelli SilveryMoon
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Don't get the rave over this。 Book trying to talk about deep topics but it's not as deep as I like。 Some nice parts， some boring parts。 Otherwise an okay book。 Don't get the rave over this。 Book trying to talk about deep topics but it's not as deep as I like。 Some nice parts， some boring parts。 Otherwise an okay book。 。。。more
Nada
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How Do You Live？ by Genzaburo Yoshino translated by Bruno Navasky （Translator） is interesting in that so many of the ideas share transcend time。 So much of what is shared in this book published in the 1930s still holds true today。 This book of philosophy embedded in the story of fifteen year old Copper is memorable， and in this case， I cannot wait to see the Studio Gibli movie from filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki when it comes out！ Read my complete review at http://www。memoriesfrombooks。com/2021。。。 Rev How Do You Live？ by Genzaburo Yoshino translated by Bruno Navasky （Translator） is interesting in that so many of the ideas share transcend time。 So much of what is shared in this book published in the 1930s still holds true today。 This book of philosophy embedded in the story of fifteen year old Copper is memorable， and in this case， I cannot wait to see the Studio Gibli movie from filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki when it comes out！ Read my complete review at http://www。memoriesfrombooks。com/2021。。。 Reviewed for NetGalley and a publisher’s blog tour。 。。。more
Linda McCutcheon
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"。。。if your regrets help you to really learn an essential thing about being human， that experience won't have been wasted on you。 Your life afterward， thanks to that， will be better and stronger than it was before。。。so please never give up hope in yourself！"Originally written in 1937 How Do You Live？ byGenzaburo Yoshino was suppose to be an ethics textbook but along the way it became a beloved young adult must read for all Japanese households。 For the first time it is has been magnificently tran "。。。if your regrets help you to really learn an essential thing about being human， that experience won't have been wasted on you。 Your life afterward， thanks to that， will be better and stronger than it was before。。。so please never give up hope in yourself！"Originally written in 1937 How Do You Live？ byGenzaburo Yoshino was suppose to be an ethics textbook but along the way it became a beloved young adult must read for all Japanese households。 For the first time it is has been magnificently translated to English by Bruno Navasky。Copper is 15 years old coming to grips with loss， regret and shame。 His father died suddenly two years ago and he had to leave his home。 Then he made a promise to his best friends and he did not keep it。 He is now distraught and does not know how to deal with his feelings or his actions。His uncle guides him with stories and life lessons he writes in a journal for Copper to read。 The story alternates between Copper's growing up and his uncles writings。 It is suggested this introspective novel is for 10 to 14 year olds but it is definitely for all ages。 There were parts that were so relatable despite age and cultural differences。 I understood Copper's feelings of being overwhelmed with emotions and how to deal with them all at once。I felt a kindred spirit with Copper's mother。 She tells a contemplative story about not helping an old lady carrying heavy packages and how even decades later she will remember that day and how it helped her live a better life of kindness in the future because she could not change the past。Please read the forward by the prolific Neil Gaiman。 He explains Copper's journey with thoughtful consideration。I received a copy of this book from the publishers for a fair and honest review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Libriamo3116
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Copper is a fifteen-year-old boy whose father passed away， and now looks to his uncle as a surrogate father figure。 Copper is growing into the adult he will soon become， and must navigate new observations and experiences in the world as he makes that transition。 In addition to his uncle， Copper also has friends he can learn with and from， and each of his friends has a slightly different home and school life。 It is Copper's experiences and observations that chart the trajectory of his journey tow Copper is a fifteen-year-old boy whose father passed away， and now looks to his uncle as a surrogate father figure。 Copper is growing into the adult he will soon become， and must navigate new observations and experiences in the world as he makes that transition。 In addition to his uncle， Copper also has friends he can learn with and from， and each of his friends has a slightly different home and school life。 It is Copper's experiences and observations that chart the trajectory of his journey toward adulthood， and along the way， his Uncle engages with him in personal conversation， as well as writing conversational entries in a journal he means to give to Copper at a later time。 Many of these observations carry a simple foundation， but they form the crux of larger questions about curiousity， ethics， philosophy， and the nature of being human in a vast， interconnected world。 The most important question is， how will Copper decide to live？Before divulging my personal thoughts about How Do You Live？， its background is important and worth mentioning。 It was written in 1937， at a time when Japan deployed Tokko， the "Thought Police"， to control society and silence dissident and subversive ideologies and viewpoints。 Its author， Genzaburo Yoshino， decided to write an ethics textbook as a novel instead， a shift which perhaps served to increase its popularity， as well as to avoid the scrutiny of the Tokko。 Over the many decades since then， it has been republished numerous times， and found a special place in the hearts of esteemed creators such as Hayao Miyazaki and Neil Gaiman。 Hayao has come out of retirement to create a film about this novel， his favorite from childhood， and for the first time in its existence， it has been translated for an English audience。Personally， I think this is an incredibly intriguing and important story， and I found its format rather engaging。 For the most part， we observe an event in Copper's life， and then Copper's uncle responds to that event in the form of a journal entry， musing and provoking thought about that event and why that moment mattered far more than it originally appeared to。 These sections provided much of the meat of the story， and while some readers may find these parts to be a bit dry， I found it rather fascinating how simple events were expanded and their foundations expounded upon to create holistic pictures of critical thought。 Many situations and ideas are discussed， so I found that no idea wore out its welcome， and I was able to read this story comfortably over the course of a couple evenings。If Copper's uncle is the deep thinker of the story， Copper himself is the fulcrum， as he engages with the world around him in earnest and with a sense of wonder。 He has fun， but thinks about life as seriously as perhaps a fifteen-year-old boy can。 He considers his place in the world， and examines his own actions， and is fundamentally human and fallible。 He makes mistakes， sometimes big ones， and learns what it means to piece yourself back together after you did something awful that torments your conscience down to the bone。 I think that Bruno Navalsky's translation of this story is spot-on， and I think that its subject matter is as relevant today as it was 84 years ago， because being a good person never goes out of style。 How Do You Live？ is a story about a boy discovering how he wants to approach life， but it's also much more than that。 I highly recommend it to all readers who ask the big questions， about life， our place in it， and what it means to live in an interconnected world where our actions matter， what we create matters， and how we live really， truly matters if we want to make the world a better place to live。4。5 ⭐ rounded to 5 ⭐Thank you to Algonquin Young Readers for the gifted ARC！ 。。。more
Elif
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This was unbearably slow and way too didactic。 I rather enjoyed the parts about Copper， but the parts about the uncle were boring。 All in all， it was an okay book。
Jessica Harrison
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How Do You Live？ was first published in Japan in 1937。 This latest edition is the first English-language translation of what is considered a crossover classic for young readers。 The book is so beloved in Japan that Academy Award–winning animator Hayao Miyazaki has announced plans to emerge from retirement to make it the basis of a final film。How Do You Live？ reads like a classic。 It transcends time， feeling young and old at the same time。 There’s a formality to it that comes with the time period How Do You Live？ was first published in Japan in 1937。 This latest edition is the first English-language translation of what is considered a crossover classic for young readers。 The book is so beloved in Japan that Academy Award–winning animator Hayao Miyazaki has announced plans to emerge from retirement to make it the basis of a final film。How Do You Live？ reads like a classic。 It transcends time， feeling young and old at the same time。 There’s a formality to it that comes with the time period it was written as well as the culture， and， to some degree， the translation itself。 And yet， Copper’s experiences could occur today as they did in the 1930s。The real standout moments in the novel are the interactions between Copper and his friends。 These sections move quickly and have real heart。I found the sections from the uncle’s point of view a little less inviting。 There were times where I was swept away and others where I found myself skimming his philosophical meanderings。Author Genzaburo Yoshino tells this story through a circuitous route， sometimes using a story within a story to explain his story。 Once you get used to it， it works， but it threw me off at first。How Do You Live？ is a quiet， introspective novel unlike anything else I’ve ever read。 And after reading it， I’m even more curious as to where Hayao Miyazaki will go with it。 。。。more
Laura （crofteereader）
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This book truly is timeless in its focus on empathy， friendship， greatness， and regret through the lens of international history， philosophy， art， industrialism， and sociology。 But make it middle grade / young adult。 Each situation is clearly outlined as our main character Copper， his uncle， and his three best friends encounter a problem and discuss it。There were a few passages that might not fly with a modern audience， though。 These were embedded in the sections about poverty and about heroes。 This book truly is timeless in its focus on empathy， friendship， greatness， and regret through the lens of international history， philosophy， art， industrialism， and sociology。 But make it middle grade / young adult。 Each situation is clearly outlined as our main character Copper， his uncle， and his three best friends encounter a problem and discuss it。There were a few passages that might not fly with a modern audience， though。 These were embedded in the sections about poverty and about heroes。 There is discussion about "weakness" keeping people unhappily in poverty， which ignores and belittles systemic factors or things like disability and mental illness which may impact one's "strength" to "overcome" poverty。 That definitely rubbed me wrong， but a lot of the other points in the book still stand。It also got to be very preachy。 Nothing was left out as each problem is discussed at length - with the uncle's （and therefore the author's） opinions waxing poetic for long stretches of pages under the guise of discussing history， for example。There is definitely an audience for a book like this， and i think it could definitely be an asset particularly in a classroom or school library。{Thank you Algonquin for providing me with an advanced copy for review; all thoughts are my own} 。。。more
Friederike
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Review to come。Thanks to Algonquin for reaching out and providing me with an eARC。
Giovanna
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