______________________________________________________________________________
THE HEIGHT OF FEARLESSNESS BY MIA IWAMA HASTINGS AS TOLD TO HER BY MIMI IWAMA
One recognition has become more than cliché, more than complimentary stereotype: Great Japanese art marries an intricate blend of depth and concise simplicity. Minimal, soft – often ethereal – brushstrokes, beautifully rendered, convey endless levels of perception and understanding. This observation extends also to the specific art of Japanese writing. In an exquisitely fine example, The Height of Fearlessness by Mia Iwama Hastings, demonstrates such mastery in a beautifully concise literary rendering of eternal teachings from the life-story told by Mimi Iwama, who was nine years old after WWII, suffering from horrible traumas recently endured, and now taken by her mother to heal within the serenity of a simple and secluded mountain community.
The Height of Fearlessness is a minor gem radiating deep wisdom. Mia Iwama Hastings writes (or maybe Mimi Iwama speaks) in gentle rhythms of quiet beauty, lending her story the serene air derived from walking meditation. Which is precisely how young Mimi (Mi-Chan) prepares herself for learning from her mother the most effective way to navigate the world. Even when that world is filled with falling bombs, broken bodies, and swirling maelstroms of destruction, her perspective in remembering such inexplicable madness is one of lofty distance and personal humility. With distinctly eastern reverence for all the ancestors, these three storytellers (mother, child, child of the child) leave the humbled reader with the sacred knowledge that he or she too will someday be among the honored. Therefore, the world must be faced with honesty and fearlessness, and best, from the height of understanding and perception conveyed throughout this loveliest of books.
M. HASTINGS
AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES
VISIT MY INDIE BOOK SHOP
______________________________________________________________________________
Joel R. Dennstedt – Top Reviewer for Readers’ Favorite
ATTENTION ALL AUTHORS! BE SURE TO ENTER READERS’ FAVORITE BOOK CONTEST
