Kickboxing Geishas
Kickboxing Geishas. Wow, what a fab title for a book!
I found this book (by Veronica Chambers) via a review on Japundit called “How does change happen in Japan?”. It is a non-fiction book about modern Japanese women and how they are “breaking the bonds of tradition and dramatically transforming their culture”. This is a theme that is close to my heart - my two novels were about modern Malaysian women in business settings being intelligent, feisty and high-powered in contrast to the usual portrait of Chinese women as bound feet. long suffering wretches. It’s high time we had more portraits of modern kick-ass Asian women - from Madame Butterfly a century ago, pining for the love of a white man, and Memoirs of a Geisha (by a white man, incidentally) waiting to be rescued by a philandering, adulterous businessman portrayed as hero, it must be a relief for feisty Japanese women to see themselves portrayed in their real personas for a change.
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Thu, April 12th, 2007 - Author
Yang-May Ooi - Category
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April 13th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
The cover image is lovely though I was disappointed not to see the geisha execute some muay thai moves… Perhaps I am too literal, yes?
All these stories about strong women makes me wanna write about vulnerable and lost men. Which may not be that far from what I actually write, come to think of it. :P
April 15th, 2007 at 11:05 am
HAVE you heard women in Japan, in recent far-reaching social forms there, were given a share of husbands’ pensions on divorce that were denied them previously resulting then in many unhappy loveless marriages being artificially held together as it would then have been foolhardy for the wife to leave the financial security of the matrimonial nest even though the marriage had, to all intents and purposes, broken down irretrievably.
BTW can recommend reading “Japan Unmasked” for an insight into Japan and the Japanese people. Truth hurts and that resulted in author Ichiro Kawasaki being summarily dismissed from his ambassadorial posting to Argentina. Begins with General MacArthur alluding - unflatteringly - to Japan as ” A Nation of 12 Year-Olds”. Published by Charles Tuttle of Vermont.
April 15th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
SAY, pic on cover is that of a Caucasian, BTW Cheongsam IMO doesn’t look well on a Mat Salleh, any
disagree?
One Fine Day, an all-time favourite of
mine even in those distant
Malaysian days!
April 16th, 2007 at 10:55 am
Kenny - interesting idea re books about lost, vulnerable men. Sort of like a Woody Allen for Asians?
Yeeton - hmm, I hadn’t noticed that the model on the cover was Caucasian. She certainly looks like a Westerner done up in Japanese make-up. How odd. Will this start a furore as per the “Memoirs of a Geisha” hoo-ha when Chinese actors played the star Japanese roles?
Also, good point you make re the unexpected consequences of an economic reform meant to help women.
April 16th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
I think Kenny has a great point and a market niche - yeah I am all for stories of strong women, keep them coming! But the nice ordinary sensitive good guys need a voice too. Woody Allen is too anti-hero neurotic to speak for them. Strong women like to share their journeys with thoughtful guys who are courageous enough to be vulnerable, and truthful enough to know we are all lost until we find a good road to walk on.
That is a really strange picture, it makes me really mad when they do that on Carling Beer ads too, I’m sure there are plenty of genuine models and actresses out there who are qualified to be on a book cover or in a Beer Ad!
April 17th, 2007 at 12:14 am
“HAVE you heard women in Japan, in recent far-reaching social forms there, were given a share of husbands’ pensions on divorce that were denied them previously resulting then in many unhappy loveless marriages being artificially held together as it would then have been foolhardy for the wife to leave the financial security of the matrimonial nest even though the marriage had, to all intents and purposes, broken down irretrievably.”
Also, good point you make re the unexpected consequences of an economic reform meant to help women.
YM, I’M afraid what I said above may have been misconstrued or misunderstood, the consequences that resulted following reforms giving wives a share of husbands’ pension rights on divorce were entirely predicted or intended not unexpected as you say in that said reforms give divorced wives a measure of financial independence or support by virtue of the pension share-out which same pension the wives were PREVIOUSLY unable to access as a consequence of which many marriages were THEN held together artificially for the reason I set out above.
Do you still not follow following this further clarification?