Title: Heart of a Samurai
Author: Margi Preus
Narrator: James Yaegashi
Length: 6h 15m
Format: Full length story
Age group: 10+
When 14-year old Manjiro, the son of a poor Japanese fisherman, is shipwrecked on a deserted island with a rag-tag bunch of mates, he fears the worst. But rescue arrives in the form of an American whaling ship, and soon Manjiro finds himself amidst an international, possibly barbaric crew, sailing towards America. Curious, brave, adventurous, and aspiring above his lowly station to live by Samurai principles, Manjiro embraces this chance to learn about the wider world.
The story is set in the mid-1800s, at which point Japan had closed itself off to all foreign contact for more than 200 years. Young Manjiro’s decision to sail away from and eventually return to his beloved home, puts him on the cusp of a historic encounter between two ascendant cultures.
Preus weaves her novel around the true story of the first Japanese man believed to have set foot on American soil. James Yaegashi perfectly recounts this riveting tale. For a treat, listen through to the very end of the recording to get the author’s historical notes on the geo-politics of the day, on whaling and bird conservation.
Note: The book contains a sliver of teenage romance and some visceral details about 19th century whaling.
Access: The link above is through Audible at Amazon.com. Depending upon where you live in the world, you can likely also access this audiobook for free through your public library and other resources that I am blogging about, like Hoopla.
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