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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 78
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 70
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- John Pavliga
- Berkeley, CA USA
- 06-13-06
Excellent Primer on Modern Japan
I could have used this audiobook a couple years ago when I took Japanese Politics in college. This covered all of the important developments, social phenomena, etc., that went into the making of modern Japan. The chronology starts at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and describes clearly the Meiji Restoration, Taisho Democracy, Showa and the militarist war government so that you get a very good sense of how one period flowed into the next to make Japan what it is today -- essentially a one-party corporate state managed by the LDP. The roles of left and right radicals, gangsters, fixers and the American occupation authorities are all discussed. If I'd had this in school, I could have gotten an A+.
17 of 17 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Konstantin
- State College, PA, United States
- 04-09-16
Not much left in my head after listening
Would you listen to Inventing Japan [Modern Library Chronicles] again? Why?
Maybe
Any additional comments?
I guess, I am not a fan of these kind of fast-paced overviews of the historical events: too many names, too much information. Not much left in my head after the listen.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- John
- 09-01-18
okay, but not well organized
okay, but not well organized ...it did have some interesting points. but was just ok
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Noah
- New York, New York
- 03-10-14
The epic story of Imperial era Japan
If you could sum up Inventing Japan [Modern Library Chronicles] in three words, what would they be?
Japan is cool.
What did you like best about this story?
This is one of those histories that reads like a story. Eminently listenable.
What aspect of Nelson Runger’s performance would you have changed?
The narrator simply did not know how to pronounce Japanese words correctly.
Any additional comments?
For people looking for a quick introduction to modern Japanese history, look no further.