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Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter




  • 022 4  I read this book in one go ; considering I have never done that before , it says a lot for the intensity and breathtaking reality of the memoir . Though relatively short , it packs a powerful punch , an amazing debut . I was drawn into her story until I felt I was a part of it . The essence of a good writer is to be able to make that connection between reader and character , and Shoko Tendo has certainly done that . Way out of my usual genres , I was completely absorbed in her heart-wrenching memoir , an emotional roller-coaster told in a straight-forward , no-holds-barred manner . In the version I read , photos and a foreword have been added to the original publication . These contributed to the personality of Shoko . Unfamiliar as I am with yakuza society ( somewhat like a Japanese mafia ) , this book brought me into lifestyles I knew nothing about ; I also learned to see a tattoo as a complete work of art , which in Japan it truly is . These tattoos are full-body canvases , extremely detailed and historical art . Shoko was the middle child in a family of three girls and a boy , her father a yakuza , in a life of plenty . Fearful of her father's rages , bullied at school , discriminated against and insecure , Shoko's lifestyle had already begun to change at the tender age of twelve when her older sister took her to a club and passed her off as 18 . The next several years of her life are spent in drugged out sex , used and abused . When all goes wrong at home , her father resigns as a yakuza and is pursued by yakuza loan sharks . Shoko falls into the trap of one man , a former friend of her father . His false promises to help her father with his financial problems and his Jekyll and Hyde personality drags her deep into his net . Misguided in what is expected of her , she sinks deeper and deeper . Shoko does not try to lecture in her book , but is faithful to her memories . She does not dwell on her situation but writes with an honesty and thoroughness that through her worst times I could feel the disassociation she finally reaches . Intense , poignant , numbed and broken , she lays it all on the line . Her emergence from this darkness is wonderful to read and shows the strength of her true character . This memoir is a real eye-opener of horrendous abuse and the intimidation that denies escape . Exceptionally well-written for a debut . I highly recommend this book .
    • 001 4  Whereas the samurai encapsulates the image of the pre-modern ideal of Japanese masculinity through his martial skill , stoic nature , self discipline , and code of honor , the yakuza , Japanese gangster , supposedly carries on a number of these traditions in the modern , or post-modern , world , especially the codes of honor and respect for not only his superiors but his inferiors . Wearing traditional Japanese garb , an expensive Western suit , or a loud aloha shirt , pockets full of money from sometimes questionable businesses , and carrying centuries of culture within his being , the yakuza has come to fascinate not only the Japanese populace , but the world at large through primarily his depiction in film and crime novels . Shoko Tendo is the second daughter and third child of the yakuza oyabun , Japanese gang boss , Hiroyasu Tendo and she witnessed his great excesses and eventual downfall , but she was not involved in the gang herself and therefore is unable or not willing to expunge deeply upon the topic of her father's involvement with the yakuza , but instead writes on her life and how her father's being a yakuza would affect her life for years to come . It is for this very reason that I believe that a number of Western readers are disappointed with Yakuza Moon : Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter . They are looking for a memoir that will feed into their cinematic / stereotypical ideals of what Tendo's life should be like , but instead they receive a thin tome written by a woman who suffered from continuous abuse at the hands of men who were yakuza and these men , instead of being paragons of virtue , Japanese tradition , and honor are alcoholic , cowardly dope fiends who beat on those weaker than them and cower from those who are stronger . What Tendo gives the reader is a cathartic , honest account of a woman who is connected to the shady crime underworld and how it ostracizes her from mainstream Japanese society . Scoffed at by her teachers , neighbors , and classmates after her father is imprisoned , Tendo becomes a yanki , female delinquent and gang member , and finds herself growing addicted to a number of narcotics starting off with huffing paint thinner to injecting heroin daily all the while drifting from detention centers to abusive relationships . At times , it seems she finds peace , but eventually these fleeting moments are shattered by harsh reality . Another criticism that I have read concerning the memoir is that it is poorly written , and that it seems like a sordid tale written by a grade-schooler . Tendo herself apologizes about the writing in the book's afterward stating that she has next to zero formal education ( she nearly ceased doing school work after elementary school , having become a yanki at 12 ) . Leaving the quality of writing behind , Tendo does have the tendency to foreshadow in a sophomoric way and her moralizing is a bit weak , but the bare bones honesty of a woman opening her heart to the reader makes the overall read overcome its limitations in craft . A fine memoir that attempts to shatter some of the stereotypes associated with the yakuza , Yakuza Moon : Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter makes for a quick and enlightening read on the subject of the Japanese underworld .
    • 002 4  This review is from : Yakuza Moon : Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter ( Hardcover ) I expected an inside look at the Yakuza from the viewpoint of someone raised in that culture and in the family of a Yakuza boss , unfortunately this was not the case . This book is to those interested in the Yakuza what Growing up Gotti is to those interested in the history and culture of the Mafia in America . That said , it is an accurate depiction of the life of a woman raised in a Yakuza family that falls from riches into poverty , a depiction of the stigma attached to the children of the Yakuza in Japan and the role of females in Japanese society , particularly the poor . If your view of Japanese culture is based on an appreciation of Japanese art , architecture and philosophy then this book will be an eye opener to the reality of the common culture in modern Japan . Reading this book was for me like watching a train wreck in slow motion , it is a diary of habitual poor choices and bad decisions made by a young girl who was never equipped by her upbringing to make good ones . I highly recommend this book to anyone raising a child as a What not to do guide , and a look at just how quickly a life can be ruined by lacking the self esteem that only parents can give children .
    • 003 4  I expected an inside look at the Yakuza from the viewpoint of someone raised in that culture and in the family of a Yakuza boss , unfortunately this was not the case . This book is to those interested in the Yakuza what Growing up Gotti is to those interested in the history and culture of the Mafia in America . That said , it is an accurate depiction of the life of a woman raised in a Yakuza family that falls from riches into poverty , a depiction of the stigma attached to the children of the Yakuza in Japan and the role of females in Japanese society , particularly the poor . If your view of Japanese culture is based on an appreciation of Japanese art , architecture and philosophy then this book will be an eye opener to the reality of the common culture in modern Japan . Reading this book was for me like watching a train wreck in slow motion , it is a diary of habitual poor choices and bad decisions made by a young girl who was never equipped by her upbringing to make good ones . I highly recommend this book to anyone raising a child as a What not to do guide , and a look at just how quickly a life can be ruined by lacking the self esteem that only parents can give children .
    • 004 4  This was supposed to be a weekend business trip filler . It ended up just a 4 hour plane ride and a few more hours in the hotel . I gave it 4 stars though becasue I couldn't put the book down . But I am a voyeur and this book really delivers on the exhibitionism . This is really just a Jerry Springer story with a happy ending . However , I am a Japanophile , so this book held my interest more than the same story about a girl from say , Hamilton , Ohio would have . I met several girls like the author while living in Japan and I can say the story does ring very true . This is a great , fast read if you are into Japanese culture , otherwise you may find it a bit maudlin .
    • 005 4  A great read , was hard to put down once I got started . Not at all the type of life you would expect from a family that was once very powerful . Her child hood bullying , drug use during her teen years , and horrible relationships with men in the past serve as a warning that just because a life style may appear to be glamorous does not mean that it is . Told with shocking truth , Shoko Tendo's memoir is a great read .
    • 006 4  Okay , so it didn't really talk about the Yakuza mobsters so much . Remember , it's a memoir of a gangster's daughter , so she's going to talk about how hard HER life was . it's a quick read , but an interesting one . It all depends on your taste . If you like reading about other people's lives , this is a good one . She's gone through so much , and she wrote about events that probably one wouldn't be too proud of writing about for the world to know . And that's courageous of her !
    • 007 4  this book is extremely simple in language and description . That makes it more personal and as she runs through her life , there is a certain closeness you feel to the author . Her experiences were extremely painful but somehow I drew strength and empowerment from the choices she made .
    • 008 4  Someone else wrote that this book had a title misleading title . I would agree that is somewhat true , simply because I thought this woman took up the gangster way of life simply because the title said she is a gangster's daughter . It is still a very good book , a surprisingly good one , and a very sad one . If you are imagining a tattooed woman conducting high profile drug deals and stabbing guys in a meat storage facility , then you and I have similar imaginations . That's not what this book is about . This is instead about a woman's struggle to survive in a harsh world . The gangster part is relevant , but understand that the author's struggles are not unique to women born to gangster families .
    • 010 4  Many American youth are fascinated with Japanese anime , films , and culture . Typical high school students in America , in my experience , tend to understand Japanese crime families to be legal in Japan . Accepted . Yakuza Moon relates a vivid picture of brutality and drug abuse in terms that are quite clear . The quaint myth that gangsterism in Japan is accepted is exploded . Shoko Tendo's autobiography makes it quite clear that to the Japanese mainstream , Yakuza crime families are held in low repect . Yakuza Moon's tattoos are a fascinating part of the crime subculture . With American teens ' fascination with tattoos , it offers a different and critical attitude which may give pause for thought to the phenonema in America . The style and complexity of the novel places it in the category of adololescent literature . The diction can be a bit abrasive , but probably realistic .
    • 011 4  This was a really interesting read . Tendo takes you through her horrible experiences beautifully . Her descriptions are so vivid that I found myself on the verge of tears at times when reading this . As the reader , you really want her to be okay , after tragedy upon tragedy . You really get sucked into her life , which to me was an experience I had never even read of before this . I would absolutely recommend this book - you'll learn about an incredibly strong woman that overcame extreme hardship in her life as a Yakuza's daughter .
    • 012 4  It's a good book . But it doesn't tell anything amazing neither explain anything about yakuza . In an interview , Shoko told about some conflicts because of her non-yakuza husband , but it doesn't appear in the book , it could be an interesting point . Most interesting chapter is the last one How Full is the Moon ? by Manabu Miyazaki when he explain some things . But one can read this book very fast , I think it's worth buying . It's not expensive .
    • 013 4  Wow , what a glimpse into an unexpected aspect of Japanese culture . You won't find this in the tourist guidebooks . As an American who is pretty unfamiliar with Japanese life , I wondered if I would understand the cultural references . Everything in the translated version is either clear from context or it is well defined . The Afterword was helpful . If you don't mind that it reveals the general plot , you might read it before the book as an orientation .
    • 014 4  Perhaps it was a bad translation . Perhaps it was written in a rush . Or perhaps the author just isn't particularly talented . The last seems to be the case with Shoko Tendo's memoir about life as the daughter of a Japanese mobster . Many of the chapters ran like separate vignettes without much dramatic tension . There was little insight into the actual lives of the yakuza , and the reader is left trying to add pieces together . What keeps the pace is Tendo's interesting life , and the trials she must overcome to better herself . When she receives the full-body tattoo , it seems anti-climactic and , dare I say it , unimportant . The tone of the entire piece just doesn't have enough resonance to carry itself . For example , the trite ( and very bizarre shift in the aforementioned tone ) last line is this : Thank you Mom and Dad . Like something out of high school essay , I felt deceived with such a simplistic ending . Some passages contained rich imagery , but they didn't last very long . Overall , with the subject and some of the narrative , the book had promise . But it seems carrying out the task proved to be too much of a task .
    • 015 4  Yakuza Moon is an interesting book , it may not be the top of any literary prize list ( which I will go into ) , but the topic is so utterly unique that it warrants reading . It's a solid , if short and occasionally confused memoir about a young womans life . Its connection to the Yakuza is from the womans point of view - in which case it shows how such a masculine group maintains control . The book faces a couple of issues . 1 - culturally the Japanese do not talk about Yakuz , Hostess , Drugs etc in public . To publish ones memoir recounting such tales is therefore a complete novelty . In truth this book is a radical departure for Japanese literature . 2 - the woman passing on this tale is herself just as radical as her tale . To be tattoo'd , to be outcast , to suffer and strive - and to be open about it in a country notorious for keeping a very tight lid on the darker sides of its cultural heritage is daring . 3 - as novel as both those concepts are , the author writing in Japanese and translating to English may lose some of its edge , and where we expect humour or irony we may read only blank prose . This is the nature of translated literature in many cases , but when dealing in particular with such difficult subject matter you get the feeling it may be beyond the cultural barrier to make such a confident stride into an alien language . What Alice Walker dealt with in The Color Purple , Shoko Tendo covers from her own perspective of a subjugation . In this case both a woman , and a Yakuza . As a true story , unlike the Color Purple , this book is even more hard hitting . There is no great poetic sentiment about it . this is literally just a recount of a young womans exceptionally hard ( occasionally self inflicted ) life . This is an exceptionally brave book . It isn't well written , it's simplistic and it lacks depth at times when you wish you could find out more about those involved . At several points the book mentions people or events that quickly become lost , or are never mentioned again ( leaving you to wonder what exactly was learned from the experience ) . Despite this , or maybe even because of this , I'll give the book 4 stars and a recommendation for anyone interested in seeing another view of Japan - without the sterilised austerity campaign .
    • 016 4  This review is from : Yakuza Moon : Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter ( Hardcover ) I read this book on the advice of a good friend and was fascinated at learning the meaning of a word ( Yakuza ) that I'd never seen before , even on a trip to Japan . It's not a long book , but so compelling that I think I read it in one sitting . Recently had lunch with a Japanese friend who , like me , was born and raised in the U.S . and , although she's a lawyer and a prominent public figure , also was not acquainted with Yakuza . I'm planning to give her this new copy the next time I see her . That will be the third or fourth copy I've bought for friends .
    • 017 4  I read this book on the advice of a good friend and was fascinated at learning the meaning of a word ( Yakuza ) that I'd never seen before , even on a trip to Japan . It's not a long book , but so compelling that I think I read it in one sitting . Recently had lunch with a Japanese friend who , like me , was born and raised in the U.S . and , although she's a lawyer and a prominent public figure , also was not acquainted with Yakuza . I'm planning to give her this new copy the next time I see her . That will be the third or fourth copy I've bought for friends .
    • 018 4  This review is from : Yakuza Moon : Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter ( Paperback ) I'm so far from truly understanding the author that it's comical - - - but I related to her every word . Her unpolished writing style is akin to the best story tellers . Letting the reader swim in esoteric knowledge . It sent me back to my days of drug addiction and the lifestyle I lived . Loves lost , familial inadequacies and romanticized memories . I relived many painful experiences through her own . Her brute honesty was so refreshing . By eventually listening to herself she accepts her own existance and personal path ; her tattoos are a physical expression of this . She's quite an inspiration to me .
    • 019 4  I'm so far from truly understanding the author that it's comical - - - but I related to her every word . Her unpolished writing style is akin to the best story tellers . Letting the reader swim in esoteric knowledge . It sent me back to my days of drug addiction and the lifestyle I lived . Loves lost , familial inadequacies and romanticized memories . I relived many painful experiences through her own . Her brute honesty was so refreshing . By eventually listening to herself she accepts her own existance and personal path ; her tattoos are a physical expression of this . She's quite an inspiration to me .
    • 020 4  What's it like , growing up in a family of crime ? Yakuza Moon : Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter is the memoir of Shoko Tendo , born to a member of a street gang . Remembering her home life , and how she began to turn her life around for the better , she presents a vivid account of what a life of crime does to one's children , and what it is like to grow up dubbed as the ' yakuza kid ' . Yakuza Moon is a highly intriguing and fascinating story that is sure to please any true crime reader .
    • 021 4  This book was a lot of what I was looking for . After reading the Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx I wanted another true life real and gritty and seedy story to sink my teeth into . This provided exactly that . The story of a girl raised amid nasty people , money , drugs and pride . Too many drugs , too much sex and too many beatings all too soon . Rape / death / addiction / self destruction are all recurring themes . A traumatic life that parallels many people in America but I think is / was a rarer occurance overseas . She tries to run then tries to embrace her legacy as a member of the greater Yakuza family and allows the reader to experience the changes in her life and thinking that bring her around full circle in many ways to face herself and her past . Not very long , I read it all in under a week but it was well worth it .
    • 023 4  This review is from : Yakuza Moon : Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter ( Hardcover ) This book is well written in painting a picture for the reader's imagination , and giving the reader feeling how the Yakuza and their family carry out their lives in Jap Yakuza Moon : Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter anese society .
    • 024 4  This book is well written in painting a picture for the reader's imagination , and giving the reader feeling how the Yakuza and their family carry out their lives in Jap Yakuza Moon : Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter anese society .
    • 025 4  This review is from : Yakuza Moon : Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter ( Hardcover ) I did enjoy this book . It made for a very quick and easy read . I was misled about the whole yakuza aspect of the story though . The fact that her father was a yakuza had very litte to do with the story . It just set the background for this girls life . Dont get me wrong , the girl did have a rough life which was very interesting to follow . The fact her father was yakuza didnt seem to have much to do with it though . She just happened to be a punk girl growing up and did a lot of troublesome things . It was informative and entertaining just learning about all the differences of their culture . A good book and I do recommend it .
    • 026 4  I did enjoy this book . It made for a very quick and easy read . I was misled about the whole yakuza aspect of the story though . The fact that her father was a yakuza had very litte to do with the story . It just set the background for this girls life . Dont get me wrong , the girl did have a rough life which was very interesting to follow . The fact her father was yakuza didnt seem to have much to do with it though . She just happened to be a punk girl growing up and did a lot of troublesome things . It was informative and entertaining just learning about all the differences of their culture . A good book and I do recommend it .
    • 027 4  The reviews above express most everything I would like to say about this book . I just wanted to add that I have never been much of a reader , actually I really have never enjoyed reading , and although I know this book is rather short . It kept my interest from start to finish , and I couldn't put it down . It took me a while , but I finished it in one sitting .
    • 028 4  Like many Americans , I am fascinated by stories from those who lived their lives in the criminal underworld . I have been an avid fan of the Sopranos , and my favorite movies include those from the Godfather series and Goodfellas . These societies sell themselves as a shadow of the mainstream , another version , if you will ; in actuality , they are nothing more a grotesque facsimile of society where the gross excess of consumption , violence and raw instinct create the perfect setting for telling stories about the human condition . So it's not surprise I would be enthralled by the premise of this book . There aren't many works of literature written from a female perspective in what is generally a male dominated genre . I bought this book hoping it would allow an outsider a view into the lives and happenings of the Yakuza machine . I was severely disappointed . Yes , the author is the daughter of a Yakuza boss . Yes , she falls in love with Yakuza men , and marries a Yakuza man . But the fact is that her ordeals are mostly unrelated to the fact that she was a Yakusa's daughter ; the events could have transpired for anybody whose family had financial woes . This is not a book about the Yakuza , and isn't really a book about life in a Yakuza family - hell , you could even Mad Libs the country , since it isn't even a book about Japan . It's a book about a woman's journey from troubled teen years , to abusive relationships , and finally to self-actualization - it just so happens her father was in the Yakuza , and many of the people she ran into on the way were Yakuza . That's why , after finishing this book , I can't help but think that the title was cooked up by some American marketeer , preying on American fascination towards organized crime . To a lesser degree , it isn't even about Japan . I feel for this woman and her pain , but reading about it was not what I had in mind when I saw the title and read the excerpt .
    • 029 4  This review is from : Yakuza Moon : Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter ( Hardcover ) Gritty , tragic memoir as told by a recovered , Japanese speed freak revealing a world of teenage addicts , gangsters , loansharks and prostitutes and the downward spiral it all has on her family . While not very well written or perhaps lost in the translation , this novel nonetheless reveals an underworld unknown to most Americans perhaps unfamilar with the underbelly of Japanese culture written with unflinching , heartfelt truth .
    • 030 4  Gritty , tragic memoir as told by a recovered , Japanese speed freak revealing a world of teenage addicts , gangsters , loansharks and prostitutes and the downward spiral it all has on her family . While not very well written or perhaps lost in the translation , this novel nonetheless reveals an underworld unknown to most Americans perhaps unfamilar with the underbelly of Japanese culture written with unflinching , heartfelt truth .
    • 031 4  Yakuza Moon by Shoko Tendo is an excellent novel . Her memoirs kept me reading and shocked me at times . Her life is very interesting and intertwined with the Japanese mafia made it all the better . If your into true life stories , the Yakuza , and aren't afraid to be shocked then I recommend this book .
    • 032 4  I read an article about the author of this book , with a photo shoot of her tattoos and short description of the book as a candid and open look of being apart of a Yakuza family . I was very much intrigued , but the book really isn't memoirs of a gangster's daughter and has very little to do with the Yakuza at all . The book is an autobiography about a troubled childhood with a wild father , which then leads to a rebellious adolescence and then a string of doomed relationships , interspersed with the author's regret and apologies to her family . Although her father and some of her boyfriends have been Yakuza members , there's no insight to how her life has been affected by the Yakuza organization . The book reads like she had a deadbeat dad who she then dates cabon copies of . There is very little to do with understanding the Yakuza organization or the organization's involvement in her life . If you disregard the misleading title , the book topic wise is an interesting account . The language is very simple , where details are clipped to the point of emotional detachment . For example she describes feelings of love , but there's very little said to make the reader understand why . However , something have been lost in its translation . Closing summary : Should not be called Yakuza moon , since it has nothing to do with the Yakuza .
    • 033 4  I hope she is relaxed and happy now . I don't really know why I purchased this expensive book . This is an account of juvenile delinquency and reading it , made me wish she hadn't suffered so much at such a young age . It's a brief story and I am not sure if everyone will find it interesting . The writing is not analytical but perhaps it is simply sufficient and very important that everyone else is aware of the experience of someone of her background . One very important thing and perhaps my favorite thing about her account is that she writes that the worst people are the children of the elites . I wish people would give a thought about people who have perfect appearances but are really abusive towards other people given the opportunity for cruelty without penalty .
    • 034 4  Entertaining read , a very short rushed biography i thought it was not detailed as a biography should be .
    • 035 4  Interesting book , but not exceptional . Many young people lives in this criminal underworld with violence , drugs , and sex . Hoeever , it is amazing that Yakusa manage to get out of the hopeless situation .
    • 036 4  The reviews for this seemed positive enough to feed my interest in anything and everything Japanese . I was very disapointed ! The book is written ( I'm not sure if this is a translation issue ) like something a middle schooler would write , if not for the foul language and explicit situations . Really , it does not do too great of a job describing Japanese culture , instead focusing mainly on the abuse of women . Further , the tone of the book is dull and uninviting . A real let down !
    • 037 4  I found the writing on this memoir quite poor , no better than High School level . Ending chapters or episodes with . . . and so I learned . . . such and such is so ninth gradish . One glimpses no details of the business dealings of the jakuza , their m.o . , etc . I know we've been spoiled by the richness of The Sopranos , but even with much lower expectations , I ended up with a blank in place of a rudimentary understanding of the Japanese mafia . Nor did I find any dramatic tension through the chapters . The narrative is like a slow moving lovomotive traversing flat terrain , passing through uninteresting stations and ending in the middle of nowhere . I rather read a newspaper on such a trip .
    • 038 4  The gangster life is a very hard life , it rarely gives a gangster a whole life of satisfaction , the most he can hope for is a few good years . Its worse for their children . This girl's father was a Yakuza boss who went up and down in the underworld , she was a drug user , deeply depressed and unable to build a meaningful life-her story is not so much about the Yakuza as about her . She is self centered , lacks a moral code but as she ages she develops loyalty ( probably a trait she learned at home ) and develops the strength to leave the street life and improve herself
    • 039 4  Yakuza Moon is Tendo's autobiography . Basically what she says is that she came from sordid origins , lived a sordid life , and eventually survived it . She is not one of those cute , giggly Japanese girls , but one who's defiant and on the receiving end of violent treatment . She shares a little too much pain with her readers , and after a while I was ready to reach for the Tylenol .

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