I was curious as to what was going on in the mind of this person. Unfortunately, you don't get into the underlying PERSONAL feelings, emotions and thoughts of the main character/author. The title really caught my eye (No One's Perfect) and I thought it would explore more facets of human imperfection. While you initially feel sorry for Oto just from seeing the photo on the cover of the book...by the end, you come to visualize him as a real and regular person. I found the book to be a more of a scrap together simplistic journal of his life so far. I suppose I have never discriminated against the disabled as it's obvious they've lacked something through life. Each individual finds their own way and it's clear that Oto points out how we must value ourselves more & enjoy every single day no matter what. This book is ideal for a little inspiration for any one (at any age) because it is easy to read & helps one examine 'What one should do to make a difference in improving their life'.

One of the main points of the book is that it really shouldn't matter whether or not someone is disabled. That said, being disabled gave Hirotada Ototake many challenges and opportunities which are uncommon. You can imagine the challenges, but what really struck me was how the author took advantage of his opportunities, working hard to get into excellent schools and taking on leadership roles throughout his life... and he's only 4 years older than I am! It seems like an awful lot to accomplish in such a short time.

The best part of this book, however, is not the story or the accomplishments, but the attitude. It's very difficult to read this book without being inspired. When I was younger, I read "Anne of Green Gables" whenever I wanted to remind myself that hard work and dedication can make all sorts of things possible. "No One's Perfect" has the same message and the same kind of inspiration.

The only reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 was that, like some other reviewers, I was hoping for more emotional insight. In some ways, the story is a little too abstract, and I'd like to know how the author FELT, since I know that most of the time, my situation cannot be completely expressed in logical thoughts alone.

Great book!

A Spiritual Lift

This is an autobiography of a great soul.

The author Oto (Hirotada Ototake) was born without arms and legs( a disease called tetra-amelia). Thanks to his great parents who didn't grieve over his disability, Oto was brought up in a way no different from the able-bodied kids(I bet you are interested in knowing how).In addition, through his experience of being often denied the school opportunities under an explanation that the school didn't have full facilities for wheelchair users, he developed his unique viewpoint - able-bodied people cannot cater to social welfare for the disabled from a more thoughtful perspective than the disabled people themselves. Motivated by this idea, he became actively involved in a campaign for a "barrier-free"society( namely, to make public facilities accessible to those in a wheelchair) as an undergraduate at Japan's prestigious Waseda University.

Enormously amazed by the reassuring tone of Oto, I sailored into a chain of touching stories. A particularly contagious one,to me,was about fashion shopping. Oto is a fashion lover and wouldn't miss any chance to shop on sale at a favorite store.On Jan 15,1998, he took the risk of travelling in a blizzard for a sale starting that day. His rationale was,"I wish that people with disabilities would take more pleasure in the way we dress,both to change society's image of us,and to give a lift to our own lives." Oto,thank you,I did get a lift here.

Ten pictures of Oto can be found in this book.In most of them,Oto smiles so shiningly,which seems to be proving his words" Even with a disability, I am enjoying every single day. No one's perfect."

Another person I must mention is the translator Gerry Harcourt, winner of the 1990 Wheatland Translation Prize. Without his efforts,I couldn't have had so much enjoyment in this book.