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Heart of a Samurai
- Author
- Margi Preus
- Narrator
- James Yaegashi
- Publisher
- Recorded Books, Inc.
- Publish Date
- 3 June 2011
- Run Time
- 6 hours 10 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
A New York Times bestseller, Heart of a Samurai is “a terrific biographical novel” (Wall Street Journal), filled with international adventure, a look at cultural differences, and both American and Japanese history.
A Newbery Medal Winner * An NPR Backseat Book Club pick
This award-winning adventure novel will thrill and enrich every young reader who picks it up.
In 1841, a Japanese fishing vessel sinks. Its crew is forced to swim to a small, unknown island, where they are rescued by a passing American ship. Japan’s borders remain closed to all Western nations, so the crew sets off to America, learning English on the way.
Manjiro, a 14-year-old boy, is curious and eager to learn everything he can about this new culture. Eventually the captain adopts Manjiro and takes him to his home in New England. The boy lives there for some time and then heads to San Francisco to pan for gold. After many years, he makes it back to Japan, only to be imprisoned as an outsider.
With his hard-won knowledge of the West, Manjiro is in a unique position to persuade the emperor to ease open the boundaries around Japan; he may even achieve his unlikely dream of becoming a samurai.
“… this is a captivating fictionalized (although notably faithful) retelling of the boy’s adventures. … Capturing his wonder, remarkable willingness to learn, the prejudice he encountered and the way he eventually influenced officials in Japan to open the country …”—Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
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Details
- Author
- Margi Preus
- Narrator
- James Yaegashi
- Duration
- 6 hours 10 minutes
- Release Date
- 3 June 2011
- ISBN
- 9781461804352
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Recorded Books, Inc.
- Genre
- Children’s / Teenage fiction: Action and adventure stories
Synopsis
A New York Times bestseller, Heart of a Samurai is “a terrific biographical novel” (Wall Street Journal), filled with international adventure, a look at cultural differences, and both American and Japanese history. A Newbery Medal Winner * An NPR Backseat Book Club pick This award-winning adventure novel will thrill and enrich every young reader who picks it up. In 1841, a Japanese fishing vessel sinks. Its crew is forced to swim to a small, unknown island, where they are rescued by a passing American ship. Japan’s borders remain closed to all Western nations, so the crew sets off to America, learning English on the way. Manjiro, a 14-year-old boy, is curious and eager to learn everything he can about this new culture. Eventually the captain adopts Manjiro and takes him to his home in New England. The boy lives there for some time and then heads to San Francisco to pan for gold. After many years, he makes it back to Japan, only to be imprisoned as an outsider. With his hard-won knowledge of the West, Manjiro is in a unique position to persuade the emperor to ease open the boundaries around Japan; he may even achieve his unlikely dream of becoming a samurai. “… this is a captivating fictionalized (although notably faithful) retelling of the boy’s adventures. … Capturing his wonder, remarkable willingness to learn, the prejudice he encountered and the way he eventually influenced officials in Japan to open the country …”—Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
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