[No. 282] Michiko Mamuro's bookshelf "I'm Yellow, White, and a Little Blue" by Mikako Brady / Shincho Bunko
Known as the "original charismatic bookseller," DAIKANYAMA TSUTAYA BOOKS, who recommends books in a variety of media including magazines and TV.
In this series, we take a peek into the "bookshelves" in the mind of our most popular concierge.
Please enjoy it along with his comments.
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"I'm yellow, white and a little bit blue"
Brady Mikako/Shincho Bunko
Click on the image to go to the purchase page.
Click on the image to go to the purchase page.
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Of course, I have a mountain of unread books. Among them, there are air pockets of books that I should have read but for some reason I haven't picked up yet. Recently, I was like that with "I'm Yellow, White, and a Little Blue."
The second book in the series has been released in paperback, and our Yumiko Miyadai is in charge of the commentary at the end of the book. I'm happy about that. To celebrate (?!), I read the second book first. It was interesting! I wondered why I had skipped this one, but then I read the first one too. It was amazing!!
Brady's fans will probably say, "It's a best-seller with over 1.2 million copies sold, there's no need for a summary now!" However, the characters in the series are "I" from Fukuoka, her Irish husband who is constantly referred to simply as "spouse," and their son.
Episode 1 begins with a scene in which the son, who entered a Catholic public school that is ranked number one in the city and even served as student council president, is wondering what to do about junior high school.
The Catholic school was built for the two parishes where we live: the former public housing area generally called the "rough area" and the neighboring upscale area. The children who attend are overwhelmingly from the latter area, and the parents and the school's culture are conservative, wealthy, and education-oriented. Therefore, almost 100% of the children go to the same Catholic junior high school. My son will have to commute by bus, but that way he won't have to say goodbye to many of his friends, and it's ranked number one in the city's junior high school rankings!
But just before the application deadline, he said he would go to a "former low-ranking junior high school" in the neighborhood.
Apparently, it was because "classmates I'm particularly close to are going there," but in my opinion, I think "motherly passion" also played an additional role.
Of course, boys who are about to enter their teenage years (secondary schools in the UK are between 11 and 16 years old. My son was 10 years old at the time) no longer make decisions based on "because I think my mother would like it." And as mentioned above, he became the student council president, beating out the well-known boys and girls. He is smart, serious, and sensible.
And, again, this is my opinion, but I think that the son thinks that "I" am an interesting person. And of course, the same goes for his spouse, his father. While there are many boys and girls who think of their parents as ATMs or food delivery people, or who feel despair because they have no hope for anything, "he is interested in his parents as people." That is the vibe he has.
Of course, I never said anything like "I recommend this." But after the tour of the "former low-ranking junior high school," the heat emanated from my mother. I think her son was touched by the fact that she had become like this.
On the other hand, "I" writes that my son, who sees me being held captive by the "former bottom", has a "strangely sober look" and a "cold gaze". But his eyes are probably not critical, they are just calm. As mentioned above, her son is very smart. That means he has "foresight".
The father and son also went to see a Catholic junior high school, and I think he saw what he would become if he went to this school, and what the future would hold. A good university, a good job, a good marriage, a good gravestone. But the neighborhood junior high school that had his mother's eyes blazing with excitement was as follows:
Sex Pistols album covers are displayed in the hallways, and there is a recording studio on campus. Both teachers and students talk to visitors enthusiastically. The music club's exhibition performance was "Uptown Funk" (Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars), which is a piece that is difficult to tell if it is good or bad because there are too many people and instruments, but it has momentum and is united despite being disjointed.
It doesn't end with "I guess he likes it because he's a music lover." The biggest mystery is that this school used to be a regular at the bottom of the city's junior high school rankings. But now, for some reason, it has risen to the middle of the rankings. What made it do that?
If you've read this far, you'll understand. I, too, am fascinated by "The Former Low-ranking Junior High School Student"! The important taste of Mikako Brady's work is "empathy," but rather than stating it, she "makes you feel it." What a book!
So far, it's only 29 pages of volume 1. After this, the story describes her son's junior high school life and the year and a half he experiences as a parent, and volume 2 reports on the rest. The differences in the reading experience between volume 1 and volume 2 will be discussed in the next issue of "Mamuro Michiko's Bookshelf"!
The second book in the series has been released in paperback, and our Yumiko Miyadai is in charge of the commentary at the end of the book. I'm happy about that. To celebrate (?!), I read the second book first. It was interesting! I wondered why I had skipped this one, but then I read the first one too. It was amazing!!
Brady's fans will probably say, "It's a best-seller with over 1.2 million copies sold, there's no need for a summary now!" However, the characters in the series are "I" from Fukuoka, her Irish husband who is constantly referred to simply as "spouse," and their son.
Episode 1 begins with a scene in which the son, who entered a Catholic public school that is ranked number one in the city and even served as student council president, is wondering what to do about junior high school.
The Catholic school was built for the two parishes where we live: the former public housing area generally called the "rough area" and the neighboring upscale area. The children who attend are overwhelmingly from the latter area, and the parents and the school's culture are conservative, wealthy, and education-oriented. Therefore, almost 100% of the children go to the same Catholic junior high school. My son will have to commute by bus, but that way he won't have to say goodbye to many of his friends, and it's ranked number one in the city's junior high school rankings!
But just before the application deadline, he said he would go to a "former low-ranking junior high school" in the neighborhood.
Apparently, it was because "classmates I'm particularly close to are going there," but in my opinion, I think "motherly passion" also played an additional role.
Of course, boys who are about to enter their teenage years (secondary schools in the UK are between 11 and 16 years old. My son was 10 years old at the time) no longer make decisions based on "because I think my mother would like it." And as mentioned above, he became the student council president, beating out the well-known boys and girls. He is smart, serious, and sensible.
And, again, this is my opinion, but I think that the son thinks that "I" am an interesting person. And of course, the same goes for his spouse, his father. While there are many boys and girls who think of their parents as ATMs or food delivery people, or who feel despair because they have no hope for anything, "he is interested in his parents as people." That is the vibe he has.
Of course, I never said anything like "I recommend this." But after the tour of the "former low-ranking junior high school," the heat emanated from my mother. I think her son was touched by the fact that she had become like this.
On the other hand, "I" writes that my son, who sees me being held captive by the "former bottom", has a "strangely sober look" and a "cold gaze". But his eyes are probably not critical, they are just calm. As mentioned above, her son is very smart. That means he has "foresight".
The father and son also went to see a Catholic junior high school, and I think he saw what he would become if he went to this school, and what the future would hold. A good university, a good job, a good marriage, a good gravestone. But the neighborhood junior high school that had his mother's eyes blazing with excitement was as follows:
Sex Pistols album covers are displayed in the hallways, and there is a recording studio on campus. Both teachers and students talk to visitors enthusiastically. The music club's exhibition performance was "Uptown Funk" (Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars), which is a piece that is difficult to tell if it is good or bad because there are too many people and instruments, but it has momentum and is united despite being disjointed.
It doesn't end with "I guess he likes it because he's a music lover." The biggest mystery is that this school used to be a regular at the bottom of the city's junior high school rankings. But now, for some reason, it has risen to the middle of the rankings. What made it do that?
If you've read this far, you'll understand. I, too, am fascinated by "The Former Low-ranking Junior High School Student"! The important taste of Mikako Brady's work is "empathy," but rather than stating it, she "makes you feel it." What a book!
So far, it's only 29 pages of volume 1. After this, the story describes her son's junior high school life and the year and a half he experiences as a parent, and volume 2 reports on the rest. The differences in the reading experience between volume 1 and volume 2 will be discussed in the next issue of "Mamuro Michiko's Bookshelf"!
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DAIKANYAMA TSUTAYA BOOKS Literature Concierge
Michiko Mamuro
【profile】
"The original charismatic bookseller" who recommends books in various media such as magazines and TV. Has serials in magazines such as Fujingaho and Precious. Active as a book critic, her paperback reviews include "The Pale Horse" (Agatha Christie/Hayakawa Christie Bunko), "Motherhood" (Minato Kanae/Shincho Bunko), "The Snake Moon" (Sakuragi Shino/Futaba Bunko), and "Staph" (Michio Shusuke/Bunshun Bunko).
