Review by Choice Review
White discusses the nature of adolescence in Japan and in the US. The author, a sociologist whose special area of interest is Japan, attempts to dispel commonly held simplistic views and myths, and discusses the common elements and differences of teens in both countries. They are the product of national culture and national abundance, and they are caught in the middle of materialism and an outward-looking idealism. The way adolescents adjust to the contradiction surrounding them reflects societal attitudes and role expectations of them. Living in a postindustrial society, adolescents in both societies share many things in common, e.g., Japanese teens are most attracted to American style of behavior and clothing. Although teens in the US and Japan are alike in many ways, differences in the way they are viewed societally are very important in how they grow up. For example, White explores Japanese fears for their teens as opposed to American fear of their teens. Such topics as adolescents' views on sexuality, schoolwork, leisure activity, relationship with family, friendship, and consumption patterns, among others, are discussed. Recommended for all levels. M. Y. Rynn; University of Scranton
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Adolescents and their mores invite "expert" analysis with predictable regularity. This Boston University sociologist and Japan specialist posits her extensively researched theories in a comparative study of teen life-styles in Japan and the U.S., which are labeled here as "two of the world's most youth-oriented societies." Between 1988 and 1991, White interviewed about 100 teenagers in both countries. Their prepared diaries and essays provide supplementary information, and interviews with parents, teachers, psychologists, and marketing specialists offer diverse perspectives. White examines mixed messages in the creation of adolescence; culture, history, and teens; families; school life; teens as consumers; friendships; sexuality; and hopes and fears for the future. The commonalities and differences of these young people shed some light on the emerging futures of Japan and America. A thorough and rather academic treatise for extensive adolescent-behavior collections. ~--Kerri Kilbane
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this exemplary cross-cultural study of teenagers in the U.S. and Japan, White ( The Japanese Educational Challenge ) zeros in on the critical differences and similarities in the way these groups are socialized, contending that conflicting social mores cause much of the current perplexity in the two countries' relations. While some of the material has surface familiarity, White's in-depth examination of each group's schooling, friendships, family relations, sexuality, search for identity and feelings about their own and each others' countries is newly revealing. The book reflects White's 30-odd years of teaching and studying young people in both Japan and the U.S.--where she is an associate professor of sociology at Boston University and a research associate at Harvard's Reischauer Institute. For this study, she interviewed a relatively small, but broad, cross section of her two societies, teenagers as well as psychologists, marketers and music promoters who play key roles in the lives of these adolescents. Because many of them are newly affluent, they face similar conditions, which is a particlarly instructive focus in a superb, thorough and accessible account. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An enterprising, somewhat impressionistic overview of contemporary adolescence in the US and Japan. White (Sociology/Boston University; The Japanese Educational Challenge, 1986, etc.) contrasts teenage years in the two cultures using a variety of measures based on firsthand observation and more formal sources of data. American and Japanese teenagers may seem superficially similar, she suggests, but their outlooks and daily behavior differ along with the ways they are perceived by the larger populations. In Japan, adolescence is not seen as problematic. Teenagers have less leisure time (the school year is 240 days), focus on the ``examination imperative,'' and tend to be viewed as dependent but bound for maturity and traditional Japanese life. In the US, ``teen'' is a four-letter word, characterized by assorted forms of rebellion and burdened by the mixed messages of ``just say no'' and ``just do it.'' Both groups find solace--and self-definition--in friendships; respond readily to questions about ideals and future plans; and are heavily influenced by marketing and the media. In Japan, market choices tend to reinforce tendencies to conform; in our larger, more diverse society, consumption tends to reinforce differences. Parents of American teenagers may be surprised to learn that Japanese adolescents spend even more time shopping than American teenagers do, primarily because smaller houses as well as custom discourage socializing at home. White repeats important concepts for her American readers (the discrepancy between tatemae--official form--and honne--true reality); includes less familiar but essential aspects of Japanese culture (the prevalence of manga--comic books--and magazines as sources of information); and emphasizes significant differences between the two student populations, including the tendency of Japanese teenagers to keep their sexual activities private (``the sexual relationship is no longer a taboo; what is taboo is the public recognition of the sexual relationship''). An instructive contrast of cultures, written in an almost casual style.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Review by Kirkus Book Review
