Haiku Apprentice reviewed in ForeWord

The September/October 2006 issue of ForeWord Magazine: Reviews of Good Books Independently Published includes Melanie Drane's review of The Haiku Apprentice by Abigail Friedman. The review is available online and in the print edition. Here's an excerpt from the insightful review:


Legions of Westerners have pursued idealized notions of “traditional” Japan through enchanted forays into ikebana, martial arts, ink painting, or tea ceremony. The pitfall of such adventures is that they (sometimes willfully) overlook the more complex, ambiguous reality of contemporary Japanese culture and politics. In contrast, Friedman distinguishes herself through depth and rigor of inquiry, which ultimately leads to a revised understanding of both her host country and herself.