Review Detail

5.0 1

How Do You Live?

Middle Grade Fiction 385

A Rare Look at 1937 Tokyo

December 10, 2023

Overall rating

3.7

Plot

3.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

In prewar Tokyo, young Honda Jun'ichi, nicknamed Copper, lives with his mother in a modest suburban home after the death of his banker father. His uncle, a lawyer, lives nearby and spends a lot of time with him. At school, Copper has some good friends, including Mitzutani and Kitami. Copper is small for his age, academically inclined, and introspective, but doesn't have the makings of a class leader because he is also mischievous. His mother doesn't reprimand him because she wants him to keep his spirits up since he doesn't have a father. Copper notices that a classmate, Uragawa, is not treated well by his classmates. They call the unkempt, tired boy "Fried Tofu" because his family runs a small shop, and he often has to work there, where he picks up the distinctive odor. Copper isn't quite sure how he can help the boy, and instead spends his time playing with his friends, sometimes giving radio broadcasts of baseball games based on newspaper reports, or writing letters to his uncle filled with musings about subjects as diverse as supply chain management and Newtonian physics. When Uragawa is out sick, he travels to visit his classmate, and helps him catch up. He starts to understand that not everyone has the advantages that he does, and he asks his uncle what he can do. His uncle, who was instructed by Copper's father to make sure that he became a good person, that Copper should "become a person truly useful to the world". This is hard, but Copper applies himself to his studies, enjoys being with his friends and his uncle, and thinks about his position in the universe. When older schoolmates pick on Kitami, the boys all promise to support their friend, but Copper finds himself unable to move or speak when Kitami is in trouble. This bothers him so much that he eventually becomes ill. When he seeks his uncle's advice, he writes a letter of apology to his friend, and everyone eventually forgives him. It is all part of learning how to be a good human being, and Copper is lucky to be surrounded by a supportive network that can show him how to accomplish this.

Good Points

This was an oddly fascinating book, being republished because it is being turned into a movie by the famed filmaker Hayao Miyazaki, who lists this as his favorite childhood book. It reminded me most of Lewis' 1942 The Screwtape Letters, another philosophical treatise on humanity and coduct of life. This also is indicative of the time it was written; children's books from this period of time tend to highlight good behavior and veer into the didactic.

Modern readers will enjoy this look into Tokyo of the past, where having "just" a nanny and a maid meant that one had come down in society. I was so enthralled with the depiction of the houses that I tried to look up the areas on Google Earth, but I imagine most of what was mentioned in the book has long since vanished. The charming Western style mansions along the coast, Uragawa's small shop in a crowded alley, and the view of the Ginza shopping district from the top of a building have all probably given way to high rise buildings. How wonderful that we have Yoshino snap shot of them.

I'm not quite sure who the audience for this is, since the scenes of Copper and his friends are slowed down by the discussions of philosophical material, but it is a charming book. The message is fantastic, and one which I tried to encourage in my own children. Perhaps this would make an interesting read aloud, so that younger readers could take the opportunity to discuss Copper and his musings with someone older.