Most people have never heard of Biafra or the war that nullified its birth and impending existence as a country. But those who lived the war still feel the sting and stigma of their wartime experiences. Knowing the history of a people helps one to understand them, giving rise to compassion rather than condemnation or alienation. This is also true for a people’s posterity to ensure negative history never repeats itself. Though the land’s rising sun is currently dimmed along its horizon, it will never be utterly extinguished and allowed to completely set because of the voices of those still crying out from it. Read on to discover the indigene experience of wartime Biafra through the eyes of a young nurse, chronicled in a historical fiction tribute.

Even casual observers will be familiar with the Cherry Blossom or Sakura tress of Japan. When in full bloom the sight is spectacular but it sadly only takes a week until the tree is bare. In a longer cycle of nations and business, we see, unfortunately, a similar pattern for Japanese Multinational Corporations.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Jurassic Park, Timeline, and Sphere comes this riveting thriller of corporate intrigue and cutthroat competition between American and Japanese business interests. “As well built a thrill machine as a suspense novel can be.”—The New York Times Book Review On the forty-fifth floor of the Nakamoto tower in downtown Los Angeles—the new American headquarters of the immense Japanese conglomerate—a grand opening celebration is in full swing. On the forty-sixth floor, in an empty conference room, the corpse of a beautiful young woman is discovered. The investigation immediately becomes a headlong chase through a twisting maze of industrial intrigue, a no-holds-barred conflict in which control of a vital American technology is the fiercely coveted prize—and in which the Japanese saying “Business is war” takes on a terrifying reality. “A grand maze of plot twists . . . Crichton’s gift for spinning a timely yarn is going to be enough, once again, to serve a current tenant of the bestseller list with an eviction notice.”—New York Daily News “The action in Rising Sun unfolds at a breathless pace.”—Business Week

These 15 essays by Cristian Martini Grimaldi introduce the different traditions and customs of Japan from a Catholic perspective. Based in Tokyo, Cristian Martini Grimaldi explores the unseen sides of Japan and decodes its various traditions. His articles explore the various religious, cultural, and social aspects of Japan that are unknown to many people. Cristian writes about Japan, Korea, and other Asian countries. He has worked for L’Osservatore Romano, the daily newspaper of the Vatican state, for over a decade. He regularly contributes to major Italian newspapers and radio stations. Through these articles in this eBook, Cristian Martini Grimaldi introduces the different traditions and customs of Japan from a Catholic perspective. The articles in this eBook are: ‘Unzen Hell’ a reminder of Christian persecution in Japan The mythical origins of Japan’s sake A comedian who dares to defy contemporary Japan Land of the Rising Sun faces solar energy woes Innocence lost: Japan’s lax attitude to pedophilia Media silent over Japan’s culture of sexual exploitation The dark side of Japan’s sacred island The island where the West met Japan Sumo as a religious rite in Japan The social suicide of Japan’s ‘hikikomori’ Mind the sky: Japan’s suicide culture The Japanese ethical edge Japan’s unseen homeless Japanese push back against Confucian tradition of uniformity Political correctness arrives in Japan

Dive into the enchanting world of Japan through the expert lens of Asif Ahmed Srabon in "Land of the Rising Sun: Exploring Japan's Rich Culture". With meticulous research and eloquent prose, Srabon unveils Japan's multifaceted culture in ten captivating chapters. Journey from the pages of samurai legends to the forefront of technological innovation, savor the exquisite nuances of Japanese cuisine, and immerse yourself in the spiritual traditions that continue to shape this remarkable nation. ""Land of the Rising Sun" is your all-encompassing guide to Japan, where tradition seamlessly melds with modernity, and history dances with the present. Join Srabon in celebrating a land that has enchanted the world with its timeless allure and pioneering spirit. Your adventure into Japan begins here.

By the New York Times bestselling author of The Bone Clocks and Cloud Atlas | Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize In 2007, Time magazine named him one of the most influential novelists in the world. He has twice been short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. The New York Times Book Review called him simply “a genius.” Now David Mitchell lends fresh credence to The Guardian’s claim that “each of his books seems entirely different from that which preceded it.” The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is a stunning departure for this brilliant, restless, and wildly ambitious author, a giant leap forward by even his own high standards. A bold and epic novel of a rarely visited point in history, it is a work as exquisitely rendered as it is irresistibly readable. The year is 1799, the place Dejima in Nagasaki Harbor, the “high-walled, fan-shaped artificial island” that is the Japanese Empire’s single port and sole window onto the world, designed to keep the West at bay; the farthest outpost of the war-ravaged Dutch East Indies Company; and a de facto prison for the dozen foreigners permitted to live and work there. To this place of devious merchants, deceitful interpreters, costly courtesans, earthquakes, and typhoons comes Jacob de Zoet, a devout and resourceful young clerk who has five years in the East to earn a fortune of sufficient size to win the hand of his wealthy fiancée back in Holland. But Jacob’s original intentions are eclipsed after a chance encounter with Orito Aibagawa, the disfigured daughter of a samurai doctor and midwife to the city’s powerful magistrate. The borders between propriety, profit, and pleasure blur until Jacob finds his vision clouded, one rash promise made and then fatefully broken. The consequences will extend beyond Jacob’s worst imaginings. As one cynical colleague asks, “Who ain’t a gambler in the glorious Orient, with his very life?” A magnificent mix of luminous writing, prodigious research, and heedless imagination, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is the most impressive achievement of its eminent author. Praise for The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet “A page-turner . . . [David] Mitchell’s masterpiece; and also, I am convinced, a masterpiece of our time.”—Richard Eder, The Boston Globe “An achingly romantic story of forbidden love . . . Mitchell’s incredible prose is on stunning display. . . . A novel of ideas, of longing, of good and evil and those who fall somewhere in between [that] confirms Mitchell as one of the more fascinating and fearless writers alive.”—Dave Eggers, The New York Times Book Review “The novelist who’s been showing us the future of fiction has published a classic, old-fashioned tale . . . an epic of sacrificial love, clashing civilizations and enemies who won’t rest until whole family lines have been snuffed out.”—Ron Charles, The Washington Post “By any standards, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is a formidable marvel.”—James Wood, The New Yorker “A beautiful novel, full of life and authenticity, atmosphere and characters that breathe.”—Maureen Corrigan, NPR