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meghananne's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting writing style, very direct and leaves room to wander about circumstances and what she is truly thinking. Often heartbreaking in it's reality. A poignant story about life as a Yakuza's daughter, and family - particularly the relationship and bond we share with our parents.
annecarts's review against another edition
4.0
This is an amazing, fast paced life story. A lot of the content is quite shocking and she is very blunt about it.
I was a little disappointed there wasn't anything about how she's getting on now as she mentioned she has a daughter since.
I was a little disappointed there wasn't anything about how she's getting on now as she mentioned she has a daughter since.
bookishblond's review against another edition
2.0
Not nearly as good as I was expecting. Hardly the memoirs of a gangster's daughter; this book is more focused on Tendo's promiscuity and her juvenile delinquincy and all her struggles... blah blah blah.
ladyheroj's review against another edition
2.0
Like many have said, the summary to this book is mis-leading. It does not give the reader much insight at all into the Yakuza world, so if you pick it up out of an interest in that subject, you will be disappointed. What you will instead be reading is the story of a woman who's childhood was affected by her father's criminal activities, of the path this warped childhood eventually lead her down, and of the strength she exhibited in righting her life. Although I wasn't impressed with her writing style, I did finish the book and think that Shoko Tendo is an impressive woman. It is a quick read, something you can easily finish in a weekend, so it is worth your time.
xvicesx's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty good, actually. It's a well paced book that makes you want to go out there and read the whole story as written by Shoko. the artwork is lovely, too!
meatballhead02's review against another edition
4.0
I stayed up until 2am to finish reading this book and read it from start to finish, not because it was a short read, but because it was completely engrossing. An insight into a dangerous lifestyle. In some parts of this novel, I literally cried bucketloads, this is one of the saddest novels I have ever read.
alexutzu's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
4.25
An optimistic, but sad comic about growing up around members of the Yakuza and handling family relationships.
The story is rather tragic at first, but becomes more hopeful towards the end, where the author reconciles with the parents and gets on her feet after hardships. I might be curious to also check the memoir that inspired this.
The multitude of characters can be a bit confusing, but again it is understandable as they contribute to the real story. The style of the comic and its dialogue are quite nice and compact. An inspiring short read.
The story is rather tragic at first, but becomes more hopeful towards the end, where the author reconciles with the parents and gets on her feet after hardships. I might be curious to also check the memoir that inspired this.
The multitude of characters can be a bit confusing, but again it is understandable as they contribute to the real story. The style of the comic and its dialogue are quite nice and compact. An inspiring short read.
msmo's review against another edition
4.0
Another memoir that reads like a novel. Her writing is often simple and straightforward, with not a lot of emotion. Which is good considering the lot of painful details of teen gangs, substance abuse, domestic abuse, poverty, burdensome family members, and desperation. The cultural differences of 1980s Japan was difficult to wrap my head around. I often found myself wondering how such a strong woman could put up with such torment when, to my naive eyes, it seems so easy to walk away. In any case, this is a survival story so we have some comfort in knowing that Tendo eventually did find a new life for herself.