This book (written by a Univeristy of Hawaii theater professor) is absolutely brilliant. It's a great, basic primer on the history and world of Kabuki, with fun facts and clever writing to keep it's audience interested. If you're just looking for pictures of the theater, try and pick up the amazingly pricey (but worth it) Kabuki no Sekai (World of Kabuki, with photos of actor Tamasaburo Bando). If you have any interest in learning about Kabuki, pick this up!

This novel seems to be more autobiographical than fictional. Either way, it's very entertaining and for lack of a better term, a real page-turner. The late author, Earle Ernst, was an Army officer in his early thirties who was stationed in Japan after World War II. The author clearly loved all things Japanese and his description of the Japanese people, their manners, architecture, seaside villages, and history of that time are presented vividly to us in loving detail. Later in his life the author made a career out of his love for the Japanese culture by becoming a specialist in Kabuki theatre at the University of Hawaii.

Ernst portrays Japan as a country that accepted sex as just another desire to be satisfied. His story contains many characters that include; the American Army men, their wives, and the Japanese help they employed. However, the most interesting part of the story is Ernst's portrayal of the American men, who having always repressed their gay sexuality, found they were now allowed in this liberated country to finally be themselves, form same-sex relationships, and enjoy a sense of community. Was it because Japan was really that liberated, or was it perhaps a result of the war, where cities were reduced to rubble, food was scarce, and a carton of cigarettes could get you almost anything? Questions like these do present themselves in the readers mind while reading this novel.

The author explains that Monju is the Japanese god for men who love other men. This book is a history lesson that is enlightening, informative, and quite humorous at times. I enjoyed this honest and candid novel from a man who truly did love all things Japanese.

Joe Hanssen