Japan
...ury Japanese noble family. Gail Lee Bernstein's story of an early twentieth century rural patriarch who sent all fourteen of his children to college is illuminating for what it reveals about the power of education to socially advance one in the world. Another theme is the role of women in history from the many stories in the book. One example is Nishimiya Hide who was the daughter of a low-ranking Samurai. When she was young, she served as an attendant to the wife of a very prominent Tokugawa leader. As the world had grown to crumble in the 1860s, Hide was forced to live by herself. From the author’s point of view, Anne Walthall (author) gave high credits to Hide's entrepreneurial endeavors, such as supplying rental futons to brothels, raising chickens, money lending, and running her own shoe store. The actions she had done show how great a woman can be when most women are being ignored. From Sally Hastings’ story, Hatoyama Haruko was a highly educated woman who symbolized the Meiji ideal of being a good wife and mother. While Haruko believed that it was a woman's duty to support her husband and raise their children, she felt that it was equally important for women to be educated to be good wives and wise mothers. I believe this story tells me that women should be treated equally as men. One of the strengths in this book is that the stories reveal large social, cultural, and political issues that represent Japan. I found Yoshikuni Igarashi’s story more interesting than any other story. His story is a very detailed description of how Shouichi Yokoi's life was influenced by...