13 December 2007
"Revolution of The Weak behind The News" by Mika Tsutsumi
I just recently happen to know Ms. Mika Tsutsumi and read the book written by her.
The title was "Houdo ga oshiete kurenai America, Jakusha-kakumei (Revolution of The Weak behind The News, Why America still has Hope)."
The author graduated from the university in New York. Her major was the same as mine, International Relations.
After she graduated, she worked for Nomura Securities near the WTC and witnessed 911 attack. She got shocked to see what happened there and how Americans reacted to this incident. Then she became journalist and wrote the book. The book won the hornorable Journalist Award in Japan.
The book described how severe living in America is if you are poor. The most common bankruptcy case is inability to pay medical expense. If you are born in poor family, you cannot go to college because the tuition is too expensive for you. Military recruiters take advantage of high school children of the poor families. The military has all the lists of children left behind. High schools are obligated to provide students' personal information to the military by law. They call you and tell you that if you join the army, the army provides you the college tuition, and free medical treatment.
But such things never happen even after you join the army. You have to pay advance fee to get scholarship for the college, it is too high amount to pay by your cheap military salary. The military hospitals cannot provide adequate services because there are too many waiting in line. Why recruiters lied to you? He was afraid to go to the front line in case he could not meet the target line for recruitment.
People in general are mindless and ignorant about the current situation. That is why they are easily manipulated by Big Powers. They don't know how Bush cheated the elections.
America was not free country as many believed. But she claims there are still many who want to change this harsh situation and some of the things they tried succeeded.
Well, I hope this book would be published in English, in USA.
There are things you don't know as long as you live in your country.
I learned some new things about my country when I was in U.S. Let's know about both of us each other.
If you want to contact her, I recommend you to visit her blog site. It is in Japanese. But you can easily find her email address on that site.
I am writing a novel using the facts introduced in her book. The title is 4 American Hostages in Baghdad.
21:30 Posted in Books, Politics, USA issues | Permalink | Comments (6) | Tags: military, journalism, poverty
Comments
I want to read Houdo ga oshiete kurenai America, Jakusha-kakumei but I don`t know enough kanji!!! Can I get it in Eglish?
Sorry for the trouble
Onegaishimasu
Posted by: Paul | 22 February 2008
I"d like to read it too. My wife is currently reading another of Tsutsumi's books (title loosely translated, "Big Poor country America", I think) which seems to be rather similar in focus and ties a lot of things you tend to hear in isolation into a compelling package.
I believe it's worthwhile noting that "the University" in New York that she graduated from was Columbia, which is an Ivy League school.
Posted by: Sam | 20 April 2009
Hi Sam, would you give me an exact title of her book? I have been looking for English version for ages!thanks
Posted by: mary | 04 February 2010
Hi, Mary. The exact title of her book in Japanese is "Hinkontaikoku America. (Poor Big State, America)" I've already posted the review of the book.
Please click on Masagata which links below address to read the post.
http://dearamericans.blogspirit.com/archive/2008/08/28/empire-of-poverty-hinkon-taikoku-america.html
I don't know if English version is already published.
She recently published sequel of the book "Hinkontaikoku America 2" which includes a story of laid-off GM worker who was shocked to hear president of the bankrupt company got huge amount of retirement benefits.
Posted by: Masagata | 06 February 2010
I find Mika Tsutsumi to be one of the enlightened spirits of the journalist world, whose work turns a spotlight on the hardships and poverty caused by official policies and the businesses environment in the United States. I was shocked to read "America, the Poverty Superpower" and I found out about the legions of students deeply in debt because of loans they have had to take out at high interest rates to pay for their studies.
Posted by: sell used textbooks | 29 October 2010
I haven't known anything about Mika Tsutsumi by now, but I think it's always interesting to read books written by people with good education and such a rich life experience.
-Amy
Posted by: android development | 24 April 2011
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