audiobook Confucius Lives Next Door: What Living in the East Teaches Us About Living in the West by T.R. Reid in History

Review

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Hits the mark on Japan but misses it on ChinaBy Patrick M. CarrollThere were parts of this book I really enjoyed; like where Reid talks about NKK Steel and their trying to redefine their business. There were other parts that I had a very hard time getting behind. Reid knows a great deal about Japan and most of it jives with both my limited experience and what I have read in the past. He knows the players well; and many of them personally and his knowledge of Japanese culture and language serve him well in making his arguments. I feel though; that he has bitten off more than he can chew. If his thesis was "What living in Japan teaches us about living in the West" I might buy it. However; his argument that Asia is Confucian and that there is a great binding philosophy that encompasses all Asia is nothing something I would readily agree with. I have lived in China and Korea for almost a decade and traveled extensively in Asia. I would agree that Singapore; Korea; and Japan are largely Confucian based but when it comes to China I would have to disagree. Reid's knowledge of China seems to come from the media and he explains it to be a place where it is safe to walk the streets. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but China is anything but safe. I have had friends beaten and robbed; a co-worker had her throat cut; another co-worker witnessed a stabbing; my cab driver was beaten bloody in the front seat of the taxi while my wife and I sat in the back; and a fight broke out in the kitchen of a restaurant where we were eating and several workers left bloody and beaten. China is a violent place where Confucian values are barely a concern anymore. I have witnessed and been the victim of more crime in the five years I have lived in China than in the 10+ years I lived in Washington; DC! The Chinese are a hard working people and they do believe strongly in the value of education but they do not fit into the Japanese-Korean realm of Confucianism. It is interesting that I read this book right after Leslie Chang's "Factory Girls" which paints an entirely different picture of Chinese society. I did like that Reid references the arguments of Kishore Mahbubani; who though I sometimes disagree with him; is an incredible genius and the true architect of Reid's line of thought. If you are interested in a comparison of Asian and Western culture I suggest "Can Asians Think?". I recommend Reid's book for people who are interested in Japan and Japanese culture but I wouldn't recommend it as an overview of Asian culture as a whole.9 of 10 people found the following review helpful. A DelightBy bongoThe author lived in Asia for several years. In the book he discusses what we in the west might learn from the east. The east has lower crime rates; lower unemployment; safe; clean public places. He traces the roots of the Asian miracle to the emphasis and tradition of the Confucian ethic. That is the basic thesis of the book; but a large part of the pleasure of the book comes from Mr Reid's direct; down home writing style. He has many hilarious anecdotes. Mistranslated English; exotic asian pizzas... He writes about a steel company that made a giant indoor ski area and how that grew from an effort to keep people employed. His neighbor; an elderly gentleman intructs him an Japanese customs... Never dogmatic; always entertaining. The basic message is there are things we can learn from asia; so he lets us see some of the good stuff going on there. Certainly a good message.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Not a bad introduction to JapanBy M. FeldmanT.R. Reid spent several years in Japan as a bureau chief for the Washington Post; and Confucius Lives Next Door is; on one level; about his and his family's experiences. Reid; however; is most interested in the "social miracle" he observes in most of East Asia: the low crime and drug use rates; the stable family structure; the relatively egalitarian distribution of wealth; the successful schools. His thesis is that this social harmony derives from the system of values in the teachings of Confucius; particularly the idea of "wa" or group harmony. If you; like most westerners; know little about Confucius; Reid provides a basic introduction. Interestingly; at the end of the book; he offers an "atogaki" or counter-thesis to his own; observing; among other things; that Confucian values are not very different from Judaeo-Christian ones and that the difference between western societies and the ones of East Asia may be that the East Asians do a better job of bringing moral values to bear on daily life. Whether or not you agree with his thesis; Reid offers some sharp observations of daily life in Japan. The book is a good place to begin if you're planning to travel to Japan. Sure; there are a lot of generalizations; as is typical in this sort of book; but the writing is good and the book functions well as an introduction to Japanese culture.