Every Human Intention

Japan in the New Century

Every Human Intention
Richard Dreux
RRP:
NZ$ 50.00
Our Price:
NZ$ 40.00
Hardback
h235 x 156mm - 448pg
23 Feb 2021 US
International import eta 7-19 days
9781101871119
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
Dreux Richard presents post-Fukushima Japan in three illustrative parts, in areas where the consequences of national policy are felt- immigration, population decline, and the nuclear industry. First, he follows members of Japan' s Nigerian community who have been affected by Japan' s flawed and exploitative visa system. He then surveys the northernmost town in Japan, which is rapidly depopulating as its residents age and die. And, finally, he takes us into the offices of nuclear regulatory officials who cannot agree on the parameters of their own earthquake fault review, which will determine whether the nation' s riskiest reactors will restart. Richard' s perceptive and probing reporting establishes him as an authority on the subject matter, but he remains aware of his status as an outsider and "translator," acting as the reader' s expatriate guide. The personal elements of his subjects' stories and his own perspective afford us an understanding of today' s Japan that goes far beyond politics, truisms, and sensational arguments.
Every Human Intention is an absolute marvel, revealing the inner workings of modern-day Japan like no other work of literary nonfiction I have ever read. And it does so three different times: with immigration, elder care, and nuclear energy--in each case giving us the inside dope with the smooth story-telling expertise of a novelist. Every Human Intention has something to teach us all, whether an old Japan hand like me, or someone who has never set foot in the place. --Richard Wiley, author ofSoldiers in Hiding and Commodore Perry' s Minstrel Show"Dreux Richard' s rendering of contemporary Japan is full of universal resonances, particularly the pain and difficulty experienced by those who hope to belong. With nuances and subtleties, this book confronts major contemporary issues: migration and loss, international marriage and parenthood, nostalgia for a lost homeland, and the xenophobia endured by those who go in search of a home their heart can recognize. A moving and enlightening read. "--Ha Jin, author of The Banished Immortal Every Human Intention is an immensely eloquent and absorbing work. Dreux Richard writes with striking clarity and insight through vast landscapes--from towns in rural Japan to trade hubs in Nigeria. His wide embrace, allowing his subjects their full and complex humanity, is what I found most moving and extraordinary. --Jowhor Ile, author of And After Many Days "Three unlikely neighbors are drawn together from Japan' s sprawling hinterland in Dreux Richard' s bold new book. Patient, sympathetic observation rendered in Richard' s sure hand guides us through the small triumphs, thwarted hopes, tragic defeats of lives governed more-and-less visibly by immigration policy, the census, and the post-Fukushima nuclear regulatory regime. Richard mobilizes the fruits of remarkable research into the geological, political, and judicial dimensions of nuclear restart into breathtaking drama, such that only as an aftershock do we register the terrifying consequentiality of bureaucratic contingency--reigning over the best of intentions. "--Norma Field, author of In the Realm of a Dying EmperorRichard admires ' border-crossing writers' who engage in a narrative style he likens to ' an illicit act of fence hopping' . What could fit that description better than a book that seeks to weave a story of modern Japan from the strands of Nigerian immigration, population decline and nuclear catastrophe? Japan is a much stranger and more unsettling place than many observers grasp. Richard sets out, with a reporter' s notebook and novelist' s eye, to discover a different kind of truth about one of the most fascinating and bewildering countries on earth. --David Pilling, author of The Growth DelusionDreux Richard' s Every Human Intention is a compelling study of contemporary Japan, based on fact but written with the elegance and eye for detail of fiction. As a keen witness and analyst, Richard uses characters and case studies to bring the reader important news from his years as an American reporter in Japan, someone gifted in eliciting innumerable otherwise hidden truths. He has a great gift for revealing the poetry in people, letting them tell the stories that have shaped their lives and will shape Japan' s future. As a result, Every Human Intention is a book you almost hear whispering in your ear as you read it, telling you that this really is Japan right now and these are the people caught up in the complexity of the Japanese experience. Every Human Intention is vivid and captivating--a wonderfully written and powerful study of a fascinating country. --Robert Earle, diplomat and author of Iraq: Nights in the Pink Motel and North American Identities: Search for Community Dreux Richard' s Every Human Intention is a remarkable work of literary non-fiction. The author combines a journalist' s eye for detail, a scholar' s commitment to meticulous research and a poet' s love of language with the empathy of a trusted friend to enable everyday people to tell of their lives enmeshed in three of the major challenges facing post-Fukushima Japan: immigration, population decline, and nuclear power. Every Human Intention has expanded my world. Most importantly, the crises investigated by Dreux Richard are not unique to Japan. Immigration, ageing populations and the need to fuel our unsustainable lifestyles are worldwide issues. Every Human Intention is a grim reminder of the urgent need to address these issues. I cannot recommend it too highly. --Lynley Hood, author ofA City Possessed A fascinating read for those of us who want to better understand modern Japan. Richard tells the stories of the often-overlooked humans behind sensationalist headlines about Japan' s immigration and asylum system, rapidly aging population, and nuclear energy industry. Each narrative is told with both facts and empathy, keeping the reader hooked until the very end. --Grace Mineta, author of My Life in JapanA work of truly original writing about Japan, a country that quietly offers the world some of its most intriguing visions of the future. Richard seamlessly interweaves reportage and the surreal, as though writing from another time whose time has come again. --J. B. MacKinnon, author ofThe Once and Future World "Keenly observed . . . Richard illustrates the complexities of a nation . . . The book shines in its poignant profiles of elderly Japanese people in the "second-class city" of Wakkanai . . . Full of rich detail and nuanced insights. "--Publishers Weekly "Penetrating . . . An eye-opening, unique look at a bleak set of circumstances in a troubled nation. "--Kirkus Reviews "Richard presents a rich array of voices . . . Intriguing . . . I happily followed Mr. Richard as he described life in a declining peripheral port, or in the Nigerian diaspora, or as a scientist called upon to make post-Fukushima Japan safe again [and] there is drama in Mr. Richard' s telling. "--Wall Street Journal
DREUX RICHARD is an American writer, journalist, and literary translator. From 2011 to 2016 he covered Japan' s African community for The Japan Times, where he also led a yearlong investigation of the "world' s safest" nuclear plant. His writing has appeared in CounterPunch, The New York Times, and Estad o, among other publications.
Status: Indent title, imported to order
ISBN-13: 9781101871119
Published: 23 Feb 2021
Published In: United States
Imprint: Alfred A Knopf
Publisher: Alfred A Knopf
Format: Hardback
Height: 235mm
Width: 156mm
Pages: 448

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