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Precarious Japan
- Narrated by: Colleen Patrick
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
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Publisher's Summary
In an era of irregular labor, nagging recession, nuclear contamination, and a shrinking population, Japan is facing precarious times. How the Japanese experience insecurity in their daily and social lives is the subject of Precarious Japan. Tacking between the structural conditions of socioeconomic life and the ways people are making do, or not, Anne Allison chronicles the loss of home affecting many Japanese, not only in the literal sense but also in the figurative sense of not belonging. Until the collapse of Japan's economic bubble in 1991, lifelong employment and a secure income were within reach of most Japanese men, enabling them to maintain their families in a comfortable middle-class lifestyle. Now, as fewer and fewer people are able to find full-time work, hope turns to hopelessness and security gives way to a pervasive unease. Yet some Japanese are getting by, partly by reconceiving notions of home, family, and togetherness.
Critic Reviews
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Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Charles
- 03-01-16
Interesting book, reading could be better
An interesting, well-researched book, albeit incredibly glum. The reader's pronunciation of Japanese words is butchered...even words I was familiar with were hard to recognize, especially when sped up to 1.5x or 2x, so I could have gotten more out of it by reading instead.
1 person found this helpful
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- Christie Cassel
- 01-20-22
Narration sours an important story
The narration is so bad, I almost couldn’t finish the book. Awkward pausing and unnatural emphasis were extremely distracting.
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- Pamela Totoro
- 07-04-17
A different view of Japan
Where does Precarious Japan rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Precarious Japan reminded me of being in college and taking a Japanese sociology class.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
Hearing about another aspect of Japan that most tourists never see. For example, neglected older people who starve to death in their homes because of the lack of maintaining family ties and absence of conscientious neighbors.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
The Dark Side
Any additional comments?
This was an interesting book but I'm glad it was not my introduction to Japanese society. As someone who has studied and traveled to Japan, I thought she did a good job presenting the challenges that face a changing society in the 21st century. I recommend this book to anyone who has an academic interest in learning more than the basics about modern Japanese society.
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-23-18
Horrendously read
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
I have learned a lot from this book, but I found it very repetitive.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
I was not aware of the hikikomori phenomenon and the way precarity manifests itself in Japan.
How could the performance have been better?
Chose a different narrator. The way she breaks the sentences for emphasis is irritating, horrendous. The discourse simply stops making sense.
Could you see Precarious Japan being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?
N/A