Blumberg''s book succeeds on two levels. First it is a
well-written story of Matthew Perry''s expedition to open Japan to
American trade and whaling ports. The account is sensitive to the
extreme cultural differences that both the Japanese and Americans
had to overcome. Especially good are the chapters and paragraphs
explaining Japanese feudal society and culture. The text is
marvelously complemented by the illustrations, almost all
reproductions of contemporary Japanese art, underscoring t
內容簡介:
In 1853, few Japanese people knew that a country called
America even existed.
For centuries, Japan had isolated itself from the outside
world by refusing to trade with other countries and even refusing
to help shipwrecked sailors, foreign or Japanese. The country''s
people still lived under a feudal system like that of Europe in the
Middle Ages. But everything began to change when American Commodore
Perry and his troops sailed to the Land of the Rising Sun, bringing
with them new science and technology, and a new way of life.
關於作者:
Rhoda Blumberg has written about the opening of Japan
1853-1854 in Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun, a Newbery
Honor Book, which also won the Boston GlobeHorn Book Award and the
Golden Kite Award. Her acclaimed histories also include The
Incredible Journey of Lewis Clark, The Great American Gold
Rush, and The Remarkable Voyages of Captain Cook, all ALA Notable
Books. She is the winner of the Washington PostChildren''s Book
Guild Award for her overall contribution to nonfiction.
Rhoda Blumberg says that while doing research for Commodore
Perry, "I read about the ordeals and strange adventures of Manjiro,
then spent years replaying his life story in my mind until I felt
impelled to write about him."
The author and her husband, Gerald, live in Yorktown Heights, New
York.