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A review by ericbuscemi
Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan by Jake Adelstein
4.0
My friend Manny lent me this book knowing I almost never read non-fiction, and had never previously read a "true crime" novel. But as soon as I started reading it, I was glad he thought to pass it on to me. I appreciated it as a fellow journalist, as someone curious about other cultures, and as someone that appreciates a great read.
As for the story, it breaks down into roughly three segments. The first is the story of how a "gaijin," or foreigner, became a reporter with the prestigious Yomiuri newspaper; the second is a number of stand-alone stories relating to various crimes, criminals and underworld enterprises he encounters on the beat; the third, where the book really picks up and becomes a page turner, is a story of human trafficking, prostitution, questionably legal organ transplants, yakuza threats on the author, and perseverance of the author to do the right and honorable thing, despite dangerous consequences for both him and the people around him.
My only lingering question after finishing Tokyo Vice is whether Jake Adelstein's marriage -- mentions of his wife and children and the effects of his job on them are woven through the tale -- survived the toll of his reporting lifestyle and the subsequent fallout of him breaking the stories he did on the yakuza.
As for the story, it breaks down into roughly three segments. The first is the story of how a "gaijin," or foreigner, became a reporter with the prestigious Yomiuri newspaper; the second is a number of stand-alone stories relating to various crimes, criminals and underworld enterprises he encounters on the beat; the third, where the book really picks up and becomes a page turner, is a story of human trafficking, prostitution, questionably legal organ transplants, yakuza threats on the author, and perseverance of the author to do the right and honorable thing, despite dangerous consequences for both him and the people around him.
My only lingering question after finishing Tokyo Vice is whether Jake Adelstein's marriage -- mentions of his wife and children and the effects of his job on them are woven through the tale -- survived the toll of his reporting lifestyle and the subsequent fallout of him breaking the stories he did on the yakuza.