The Only Woman in the Room: A Memoir

Average Customer Rating: Find Out More Info Manufacturer: Kodansha International (JPN)
Binding: Hardcover Dewey Decimal Number: 791.092 EAN: 9784770021458 ISBN: 4770021453 Label: Kodansha International (JPN) Manufacturer: Kodansha International (JPN) Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 171 Publication Date: 1998-02 Publisher: Kodansha International (JPN) Studio: Kodansha International (JPN)
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Editorial Reviews: The Only Woman in the Room is a vivid and very personal account of one woman's life in Europe, prewar Japan, and the United States. As the daughter of renowned Russian pianist Leo Sirota, Beate Gordon grew up in the cosmopolitan world of the concert tour, then settled in Japan in the 1930s. During World War II, while her parents remained in Japan under secret service surveillance Gordon lived alone in the United States, monitoring Tokyo Radio in five languages for the government and later writing radio propaganda. She recounts her dramatic reunion with her parents in Tokyo, where she worked in General MacArthur's headquarters, and evokes the postwar suffering in defeated Japan. Her intimate description of helping draft the women's rights section of Japan's new constitution is an astonishing record of history in the making. On returning to the States in 1947, Mrs. Gordon became a cultural impresario, bringing artists, dancers, writers, and musicians from all over to the United States. Her adventures in search of performing artists in such remote and exotic places as Mongolia, Tibet, India, and Indonesia make for hilarious and sometimes hair-raising anecdotes. The Only Woman in the Room can be appreciated on many levels -- armchair travelers, feminists, history buffs, and readers who appreciate a well-written memoir will all find Beate Gordon's extraordinary life a riveting read.
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Fascinating account of feminist victory in feudal Japan Comment: Ms. Gordon, born in Vienna and educated in Japan and the United States, found herself by an accident of history in Japan at age 22 with the American Occupation Forces immediately after World War II. General MacArthur directed her and others to draft a new constitution for Japan. Drawing on European constitutions that she found in the remaining libraries in war-torn Tokyo, she wrote for Japanese women an advanced equal rights clause that Japanese women have treasured ever since. The story of how the Japanese constitution was written is extremely interesting and well-written. Readers interested in Vienna and in European social activity of the early 20th Century will also find interesting descriptions of same. Mrs. Gordon's father was a famous Russian pianist who associated with many other famous pianists of his era, such as Artur Rubinstein. More Reviews