THE HEART OF A SAMURAI

Any actor worth his salt can bring the voices of a whaling crew at sea to a landlocked listener. James Yaegashi sails beyond that by getting inside the heart of Manjiro, a shipwrecked Japanese boy whom Captain Howland rescues and later adopts. Working from a true story, Yaegashi captures the confusion and loneliness of a teen, far from home in America, who is surrounded by strangers who don't speak his language. As Manjiro learns the ways of his adoptive country in the mid-nineteenth century, Yaegashi adds confidence to Manjiro's voice while maintaining the crisp and accurate pronunciation of Japanese words. Listeners will marvel at Manjiro's will to survive, adapt, and return home to become a samurai. An endnote narrated by the author explains what parts of the story are based in fact. M.M.O. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2011]