New Book Review: Japan Took the J.A.P. Out of Me

Japan Took the J.A.P. Out of Me by Lisa Fineberg Cook

When her brand-new husband takes self-described Jewish American Princess Lisa Fineberg Cook from the comforts of posh Los Angeles to live in Nagoya, Japan, the dream of an exotic adventure quickly changes to frustration as she deals all at once with missing her old life and friends, the feeling of being different in a foreign culture, and the new lifestyle of marriage itself. Slowly, though, Lisa learns to become the wife she hoped she could be while finally fitting into this new world and making it feel like home.

Readers of this book will either love it or hate it: this is chick-lit at its finest and an engaging, enjoyable read. However, if you are looking to learn more about Japan's culture and language, or anything related to Judaism for that matter, not much will be found here – and most of the few references to either contained in the book are not even explained. Although the book's title is clever and attempts to convey the theme of Cook's time in Japan, it is a whinefest from beginning to end filled with clichés about L.A. princesses. Cook does become somewhat domesticated during the year and touches on a few real issues in the book like the treatment of women in the Japanese culture, but the end didn't find her much closer to being "de-J.A.P.-ed" than the beginning. A cute memoir, but not necessary for specifically Jewish collections.