Travel Blogs

Recommended Reading - A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding: A Novel by Jackie Copleton

Although not about responsible travel, this lovely novel was recommended by a friend who is a travel agent, and, after reading it, I agree that the story is powerful and the insights into Japanese culture are fascinating.  Pam and I have known each other for almost 30 years and, like many friends, enjoy recommending great reads to each other. If you have a book that you would like to let others know about, please feel free to contact me: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)   

When Amaterasu Takahashi opens the door of her Philadelphia home to a badly scarred man claiming to be her grandson, she doesn’t believe him. Her grandson and her daughter, Yuko, perished nearly forty years ago during the bombing of Nagasaki. But the man carries with him a collection of sealed private letters that open a Pandora’s Box of family secrets Ama had sworn to leave behind when she fled Japan. She is forced to confront her memories of the years before the war: of the daughter she tried too hard to protect and the love affair that would drive them apart, and even further back, to the long, sake-pouring nights at a hostess bar where Ama first learned that a soft heart was a dangerous thing. Will Ama allow herself to believe in a miracle?