Awards/Selection Lists:
- Nonfiction titles from ALSC Notable Books lists 2002-2013
- Richie's Picks- Siebert Honor
Brief Summary: Allen Say is an award winning, Japanese born illustrator and writer who led a very interesting and independent life, determined to become a cartoonist, seeking out his mentor, his sensei, on his own at the tender age of 13, while living on his own and attending school. Later, he moves to America with his estranged father, to live his dream, but the relationship with his sensei, and what he has learned about drawing as seeing and painting as writing, stays with him forever, as this memoir to his great teacher proves.
Personal Reaction: I adored this book. I love Japanese culture and this book reads an awful lot like a lot of the literature I have read from that area. It may seem a little choppy, and some of the content is told with pictures instead of language, which could be why this is listed in our OPAC as a graphic novel, regardless of the fact that it is covered in photos and cartoons, but I think that it fits very well with the storyline and the geography. Say led a very interesting life, and it is amazing to see the amount of independence post war Japan allowed him, and never thought twice about. Even with his father, his grandmother, and some teachers telling him he would never amount to anything as an artist, he pursued his passion, encouraged by his sensei, 2 teachers and a few friends to become one of the most celebrated talents.
Personally, I think what I love most about this book is that I always wanted to be an artist, but was always told that it wasn't lucrative enough to be an occupation, and then the time I could have used to train and perfect a craft was wasted, as it became a sometime hobby, and one that I often hid from others. I really take Say's story to heart because he pursued his passion to the very end and lived his dream. Like those people he saw in Tokyo that lived and died in offices, I lived that way, and I would prefer to live like Say, following his example. It makes you wonder, is it ever really too late?
Personally, I think what I love most about this book is that I always wanted to be an artist, but was always told that it wasn't lucrative enough to be an occupation, and then the time I could have used to train and perfect a craft was wasted, as it became a sometime hobby, and one that I often hid from others. I really take Say's story to heart because he pursued his passion to the very end and lived his dream. Like those people he saw in Tokyo that lived and died in offices, I lived that way, and I would prefer to live like Say, following his example. It makes you wonder, is it ever really too late?
Front/Back Matter: Title Page, main page, copyright page, dedication, content, author's note.
Content Evaluation: As stated above, the tone is a little choppy, but very appropriate for a Japanese styled book and I think it carries the story, very well. The photos and illustrations are plentiful, the language easy to absorb and the author's note helps tie it all together, really identifying the purpose of this book, to honor his sensei.
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