Commodore Perry's Minstrel Show

Fiction & Literature, Literary
Cover of the book Commodore Perry's Minstrel Show by Richard Wiley, Dzanc Books
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Author: Richard Wiley ISBN: 9781941088791
Publisher: Dzanc Books Publication: May 27, 2014
Imprint: Dzanc Books Language: English
Author: Richard Wiley
ISBN: 9781941088791
Publisher: Dzanc Books
Publication: May 27, 2014
Imprint: Dzanc Books
Language: English
In 1854, Commodore Matthew Perry steamed into Edo Bay and "opened" Japan to trade with America. As entertainment for the treaty-signing ceremony, Perry brought a white-men-in-black-face minstrel show-and thereby confirmed the widely whispered Japanese belief that trade with the American "barbarians" could only lead to cultural ruin. Yet the pawns in this clash of cultures-the minstrels, Ace Bledsoe and Ned Clark, and the Japanese interpreter, Manjiro Okubo-are just slightly more curious than cautious. Within the minstrels Manjiro sensed "the subtleties of spirit that reside in all good men." When Ace and Ned are unwittingly made part of a Japanese plot to undermine the American presence, Manjiro helps them escape into the countryside. Pursued by samurai, torn between treachery and loyalty, Manjiro and the minstrels (along with family, friends, and lovers) make their way across Japan, fleeing a showdown with the samurai that gradually becomes inevitable.
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In 1854, Commodore Matthew Perry steamed into Edo Bay and "opened" Japan to trade with America. As entertainment for the treaty-signing ceremony, Perry brought a white-men-in-black-face minstrel show-and thereby confirmed the widely whispered Japanese belief that trade with the American "barbarians" could only lead to cultural ruin. Yet the pawns in this clash of cultures-the minstrels, Ace Bledsoe and Ned Clark, and the Japanese interpreter, Manjiro Okubo-are just slightly more curious than cautious. Within the minstrels Manjiro sensed "the subtleties of spirit that reside in all good men." When Ace and Ned are unwittingly made part of a Japanese plot to undermine the American presence, Manjiro helps them escape into the countryside. Pursued by samurai, torn between treachery and loyalty, Manjiro and the minstrels (along with family, friends, and lovers) make their way across Japan, fleeing a showdown with the samurai that gradually becomes inevitable.

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