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ENTRY

Review: A Room Where the Star Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard
January 14, 2012

A Room Where the Star Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard
Levy Hideo

Originally published in Japanese in 1992, A Room Where the Star Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard is a novel written by Levy Hideo and recently translated by Christopher Scott. Levy (his family name) was one of the first non-Japanese Americans to publish in Japanese, and he is one of the most successful, having won several awards and received critical acclaim.

Set in the 1960s, when the frantic rebuilding years after the war had been successful and allowed the country to breath and find a voice in the post-war era, Levy’s novel is an exploration of his early days in Japan and the role language plays in his coming of age in a foreign land. That the book was written in Japanese is explained in the translator’s note: “Levy writes in Japanese to explore and articulate his own identity, which has been deeply intertwined with Japan and the Japanese language.”

In the novel, Ben Isaac, the seventeen-year-old son of an American diplomat in Yokohama, leaves the consulate to explore Tokyo, without letting his strict father know. Despite his worldly travels, Ben seems somewhat naïve and unsure of himself in a place where his blonde hair makes a target of staring and name calling. But he is excited by being in Japan and is also guided by the mantra of the late 1960s to “find yourself.” Ben often finds himself in a dingy boardinghouse room with a Japanese youth named Andō, who speaks English but refuses to in order for Ben to learn Japanese.

Ben takes Japanese lessons, finding the some students pretentious and others prejudiced against him because of his nationality and ethnicity. He joins an English Conversation Club only to find the Japanese members want to practice their English by bashing America with topics such as “The Vietnam War, American Imperialism, and White Supremacy.” He learns some of his Japanese by reading protest signs and graffiti, but mostly through conversations with Andō.

When his Japanese has improved, Ben takes full flight from his father, and takes a job in late-night diner in a grungy bar and red-light district. As he puts up with the scorn and repulsion of his co-workers, we also see the roots of his discontent through his memories of being raised in the circumstances of a largely absent father and unstable mother. And when they eventually divorce, Ben lives with her until he finds his father’s severity more appealing than his mother’s instability.

While Ben’s experiences in Japan may not be all that unique now, in the late 1960s they would have been exotic for an American audience. The novel also captures an interesting time in Japanese history when the country was rising from the ashes and turning into a global economic force. Then, there were the seeds of discontent with its new ally, the United States, although those seeds never fully blossomed into a rejection of the relationship. The novel is highly recommended for this historical snapshot as well as its exceedingly readable story and Levy’s distinctive point of view.

© 2013

COMMENTS

Number of comments: 1
click here to add a comment

Lee Witte
Just finished reading it, and enjoyed the coming of age story set in Japan. And I agree with your review. I think we are all affected most deeply by our environment most at that age.

ARCHIVE

date (comments)

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Feb. 28, 2013 (2)

Review: Salvation of a Saint
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Review: A Room Where the Star Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard
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Review: Plainsong
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September 23, 2009 (1)

October book tour
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Todd Shimoda's Writer's Blog home \| current \| forthcoming \| past \| contact
ENTRY Review: A Room Where the Star Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard January 14, 2012 A Room Where the Star Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard Levy Hideo Originally published in Japanese in 1992, A Room Where the Star Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard is a novel written by Levy Hideo and recently translated by Christopher Scott. Levy (his family name) was one of the first non-Japanese Americans to publish in Japanese, and he is one of the most successful, having won several awards and received critical acclaim. Set in the 1960s, when the frantic rebuilding years after the war had been successful and allowed the country to breath and find a voice in the post-war era, Levy’s novel is an exploration of his early days in Japan and the role language plays in his coming of age in a foreign land. That the book was written in Japanese is explained in the translator’s note: “Levy writes in Japanese to explore and articulate his own identity, which has been deeply intertwined with Japan and the Japanese language.” In the novel, Ben Isaac, the seventeen-year-old son of an American diplomat in Yokohama, leaves the consulate to explore Tokyo, without letting his strict father know. Despite his worldly travels, Ben seems somewhat naïve and unsure of himself in a place where his blonde hair makes a target of staring and name calling. But he is excited by being in Japan and is also guided by the mantra of the late 1960s to “find yourself.” Ben often finds himself in a dingy boardinghouse room with a Japanese youth named Andō, who speaks English but refuses to in order for Ben to learn Japanese. Ben takes Japanese lessons, finding the some students pretentious and others prejudiced against him because of his nationality and ethnicity. He joins an English Conversation Club only to find the Japanese members want to practice their English by bashing America with topics such as “The Vietnam War, American Imperialism, and White Supremacy.” He learns some of his Japanese by reading protest signs and graffiti, but mostly through conversations with Andō. When his Japanese has improved, Ben takes full flight from his father, and takes a job in late-night diner in a grungy bar and red-light district. As he puts up with the scorn and repulsion of his co-workers, we also see the roots of his discontent through his memories of being raised in the circumstances of a largely absent father and unstable mother. And when they eventually divorce, Ben lives with her until he finds his father’s severity more appealing than his mother’s instability. While Ben’s experiences in Japan may not be all that unique now, in the late 1960s they would have been exotic for an American audience. The novel also captures an interesting time in Japanese history when the country was rising from the ashes and turning into a global economic force. Then, there were the seeds of discontent with its new ally, the United States, although those seeds never fully blossomed into a rejection of the relationship. The novel is highly recommended for this historical snapshot as well as its exceedingly readable story and Levy’s distinctive point of view. © 2013	COMMENTS Number of comments: 1 click here to add a comment Lee Witte Just finished reading it, and enjoyed the coming of age story set in Japan. And I agree with your review. I think we are all affected most deeply by our environment most at that age.	ARCHIVE date (comments) Review: Paprika April 21, 2013 (3) Review: A Straight Road With 99 Curves March 30, 2013 (1) Gripping writing Feb. 28, 2013 (2) Review: Salvation of a Saint January 19, 2013 (2) 2012 in review December 30, 2012 (2) Review: Ninja September 30, 2012 (2) Review: My Postwar Life August 21, 2012 (1) New interview with Colin Marshall July 15, 2012 (3) Book events April 25, 2012 (2) Subduction March 14, 2012 (8) Review: A Room Where the Star Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard January 14, 2012 (1) Review: Plainsong December 20, 2011 (3) Review: The Devil's Disciple November 29, 2011 (2) Haruki Murakami October 5, 2011 (2) Busyness and demons September 25, 2011 (2) Characters: The Bully July 30, 2011 (3) Review: Manazuru June 28, 2011 (2) Deadlines! June 24, 2011 (2) Review: Butterfly's Sisters May 18, 2011 (1) Review: Isle of Dreams April 20, 2011 (2) Cades Award for Literature press release April 12, 2011 (2) Japan and other news March 29, 2011 (1) Borders bankruptcy February 17, 2011 (2) 2010 review December 17, 2010 (6) Congratulations Mario Vargas Llosa October 7, 2010 (2) OH! wins best book award September 23, 2010 (2) Review: Kissing the Mask August 22, 2010 (1) Jonathan Lethem: Writing at the margins July 12, 2010 (2) Review: Love in Translation June 22, 2010 (3) Jose Saramago June 18, 2010 (0) Marketplace of Ideas interview June 11, 2010 (2) Imagining Memory May 6, 2010 (1) Upcoming Los Angeles events April 7, 2010 (2) Time and energy March 30, 2010 (2) Review: Botchan February 28, 2010 (2) J.D. Salinger January 28, 2010 (1) 2009 Reviewed December 31, 2009 (5) Review: The Word Book December 12, 2009 (1) Chaat and Chat event with OH! November 6, 2009 (2) Home at last November 2, 2009 (2) Los Angeles events October 17, 2009 (1) Poets and poetry October 7, 2009 (1) Time + place September 24, 2009 (1) The future of books September 23, 2009 (1) October book tour September 6, 2009 (1) Blogging at Powell's Books August 28, 2009 (2) The evolution of an idea August 3, 2009 (1) The Poetics of Motoori Norinaga: A Hermeneutical Journey July 9, 2009 (2) Tour debrief July 2, 2009 (3) Book tour events May 18, 2009 (3) Simply in the mood April 24, 2009 (2) Book tour April 8, 2009 (6) The Necessary Book March 2, 2009 (2) "Murder Makes the Magazine" February 7, 2009 (3) John Updike January 27, 2009 (2) 2008 misc. (good news, bad news) January 1, 2009 (3) Publishing woes and query letters December 13, 2008 (4) Punctuation compunction November 16, 2008 (3) The Fountain of Youth (and other Ideas) October 10, 2008 (2) David Foster Wallace September 14, 2008 (2) Ending it all September 12, 2008 (2) The mystery of plotting, the plotting of mysteries August 29, 2008 (3) Blocking out the block August 20, 2008 (3) "What kind of books do you write?" August 8, 2008 (2) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 4 July 21, 2008 (3) Show and tell July 14, 2008 (3) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 3 July 7, 2008 (7) Advice for first-time writers (Barry Gifford and me) June 30, 2008 (6) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 2 June 18, 2008 (3) To be or not to be June 10, 2008 (6) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 1 June 3, 2008 (6) Virtual unreality May 31, 2008 (4) The purpose of this blog May 21, 2008 (5)