Whew. Between the end of the school year and an amazing UK vacation, June flew by and here we are, already in July! Today’s review is of a book that has been out for decades, but the first English translation was released last Fall! I’ve included the name of the original author below, as well as the translator. 🙂
Author: Genzaburo Yoshino
Translator: Bruno Navasky
Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Young Readers for this free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Libro.fm for the free educator ALC. This is a reissue and the first English translation of this story (first published in 1937) and is available now!
How Do You Live? is such a lovely, unique story. It follows the main character Copper, as he navigates life after the death of his father, new friendships and betrayals, and his growing curiosity about the world around him. Interspersed throughout the story are journal entries to Copper from his uncle, which address many of the social, political, and philosophical questions Copper begins to have.
I loved the audiobook but I would definitely like to get a physical copy of this one as well just to read again. I’m not one to annotate books but I feel like this is one I would! Even though this story was originally written in 1937, so much of what Copper went through feels relevant…probably because so much of the pre-teen/teenage experience is universal.
This was such an endearing, beautiful read and I highly recommend it for young ones as well as adults. The translation is excellent and the audio narrator, Brian Nishii, does a wonderful job!
The Bookish Bird 