Endorsements
LIFE IS FULL OF MIRACLES
"Isaac Shapiro's memoir is the stuff of legends and Hollywood movies. Reading his beautifully written work, I came to believe once again that life is indeed full of miracles."
---Edward Klein, Author of Ted Kennedy: The Dream That Never Died
A TRUE MAN OF THE WORLD
"This is an uplifting and inspiring work by one of America's great attorneys and international thinkers. Edokko is an extraordinary first-hand look at broad stretches of 20th century history from a deeply personal perspective. Regions and times that we know little of today are uncovered in intimate detail, combined with a moving coming-of-age story of a young man growing to accomplished maturity on three continents. Isaac Shapiro, born in Japan, scion of a distinguished Russian-Jewish family, raised in China and Japan, fluent in several languages, is a true man of the world as he so eloquently demonstrates in this compelling work."
---David A. Andelman, Editor, World Policy Journal
BRACINGLY WRY SELF AWARENESS
"Isaac Shapiro's memoir is a monumental achievement, reminding me of the closing chapter of Vladimir Nabokov's autobiography, Speak Memory. What makes this coming-of-age tale so worthy is a bracingly wry self-awareness that transcends the turmoil and chaos that fate has thrust into Shapiro's young life. I cried much for the plight of his oft misplaced and poverty-stricken family, but laughed even more, cheering on young Ike's winning tenacity at every juncture of his life. This is not a mere chronicle of a boy's journey from East to West; from poverty to great triumph in life; but a sobering witness to atrocity done to his people and a powerful testament to the grace of humanity in its most brilliant and glorious manifestation."
---Da Chen, Author of the New York Times bestselling memoir, Colours of the Mountain, and 2007 Quills Book Award fiction finalist, Brothers
THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD
"This book by Isaac Shapiro gives the reader new insights into how a White Russian family migrated to and lived in Japan through the eyes of a child. It is also one of the very few stories by a non-Japanese witness who lived in Japan during World War II."
---Ambassador Motoatsu Sakurai, President of the Japan Society, New York, former Consul General of Japan in New York and former CEO of Mitsubishi International Corporation
AN UNCONVENTIONAL LIFE - A MOVING MEMOIR
"There are many memoirs of life in Japan during World War II, but Edokko paints a portrait unlike any other. This sensitive remembrance by Isaac Shapiro evokes a unique era in world history and brings to light remarkable characters that lived equally remarkable lives. It seems nearly unimaginable that a child of Russian-Jewish émigrés could spend his earliest years in China, grow up in Japan, study in Paris and complete his career in New York City, yet such is the story of Ike's unconventional life. It is a moving memoir of events that shaped a truly extraordinary man — a tireless worker, a loyal friend, a thoughtful mentor and a keen observer of the human condition."
---Michael K. Young, President of the University of Utah, former Dean of the George Washington School of Law and former Fuyo Professor of Japanese Law at Columbia University
|
