Yakuza Moon, a book about a yakuza's daughter

If you've ever wondered what it's like to be a yakuza boss' daughter, Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter is a must-read. The author, Shoko Tendo, tells her story with brutal honesty. We all know how big a role family plays in shaping one's life, and it's amazingly interesting to see how being raised by a volatile yakuza boss influenced Tendo's. She had, to put it mildly, a crazy life from childhood &mdash bullied in school, addicted to drugs and sex and the yanki lifestyle as a teen, and stuck in a series of awful, awful relationships with horrible men throughout her teens and twenties. In this book, she does a great job of relating all these experiences back to her family, her upbringing, and the conflicting desires within her to have fun, to appease others, and to stick with her convictions.

This was a quick read &mdash shocking, but very good.A total eye-opener to a part of Japanese culture that all of us who have lived in Japan have touched upon but probably not given that much genuine thought to. Tendo is a great narrator and protagonist who is easy to like and admire despite her shortcomings. You should read it!

Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter by Shoko Tendo [Amazon]

More book reviews on TokyoMango

Comments

[PlayingKarrde]

Who me? OK then.

Usually not a fan of biographies but this sounds kind of interesting.

[WordsnCollision]

Tendo's tattoos are stunningly beautiful, has she done a graphic portfolio of her body art? Might be a good companion piece to Yakuza Moon.

[frankcostell]

I read this book when the English translation was released last year. I have always liked non fiction books and this was one of the fascinating biography I have read in a long time. There have been some criticism of the quality if writing but personally I thought it help convey how hard her life was. Over all a great read and that shed light on life I knew nothing about