My Year of Meats
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Ruth L. Ozeki |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
Publication date |
June 1, 1998 (first edition) |
| Pages | 432 (first edition) |
| ISBN | 978-0-670-87904-5 (first edition) |
| OCLC | 38168295 |
| 813/.54 21 | |
| LC Class | PS3565.Z45 M99 1998 |
My Year of Meats (titled My Year of Meat in the UK) is a novel by Ruth L. Ozeki. The book takes advantage of the differences between Japanese and American culture to comment on both.[1]
Overview
Jane Takagi-Little is a Japanese American journalist who is hired to work for a Japanese production company. The company works with BEEF-EX to promote the use of American beef in Japan by creating a Japanese television show called "My American Wife." Jane works as the host and creative producer for the show, on which every week an American wife is shown living "her life" and cooking meat.
Parallel to Jane's story is the life of Akiko Ueno, a former manga artist who specialized in horror scenes and is reluctantly married to a man working for BEEF-EX. Her husband cares only that Akiko has a baby and forces her to watch "My American Wife" and cook the recipes, believing that it will allow her to conceive. However, as Akiko's independence and sense of self grows from watching the show and cooking for her husband, her complacent life and relationship with her husband becomes volatile.
Awards
Reviews
References
- ↑ Cardwell, Diane (1998-06-21). "NY Times". NY Times. Retrieved 2010-01-26.
- ↑ "1998 Winner". Kiriyama Prize. Retrieved 2013-05-25.