edokko: growing up a foreigner in wartime japan

i started reading this book about a month before the tsunami hit japan.
edokko: growing up a foreigner in wartime japan is the story of isaac shapiro a jewish new york lawyer who was born in 1931 and grew up in japan. his mother was born in russia and moved to china as a baby and his father's family moved to japan after the russian revolution. shapiro's parents met in berlin as musicians and left germany because they feared the anti-semitism yet to come. his parents then lived in palestine and later went back to japan. young isaac also lived in china for five years during his parents separation, but later moved back to japan when his parents reconciled. he spent the war years in japan and at fourteen befriended united states military officers who were stationed in japan and worked as an interpreter.after the war he moved to the united states under the guardianship of a united states military officer.
japan was good to the jews during the 20th century when they fled russia due to pogroms and later when they fled the shoah.
mr. shapiro had a unique life and his memoir is well written. it was also quite an appropriate read after all the devastation that has recently befallen japan.