'At once so personal, yet utterly universal. A visceral, thoughtful and emotionally compelling story.' Melissa Leong
In a beautifully crafted memoir of captivating emotional honesty, the SBS Insight host sets out to understand the dad she never really knew, and – along the way – herself.
Growing up, Kumi Taguchi thought her father was merely distant: reserved, obsessively frugal and – after her parents' divorce – almost entirely missing. When he died, Kumi's feelings about him and the Japanese heritage he had given her remained tangled.
But just because a parent has gone doesn't mean they're absent. Over time Kumi came to understand more about what made her father as he was, including his experiences as a child in wartime Japan and, above all, the culture she both loved and felt burdened by. She decided to travel to Japan to find the family home, and perhaps lay to rest some ghosts.
In this highly evocative journey of understanding, Kumi explores her divided self: the tension between duty and freedom; the people she's felt drawn to and lost; and how to find your place when caught between two worlds. Born in Melbourne, Victoria to her Japanese father and Australian mother, Kumi Taguchi grew up in rural New South Wales learning classical violin from the age of five. She has worked in the media for over 25 years in Australia and overseas, and is currently the host of SBS's Insight.
Born in Melbourne, Victoria to her Japanese father and Australian mother, Kumi Taguchi grew up in rural New South Wales learning classical violin from the age of five. She has worked in the media for over 25 years in Australia and overseas, and is currently the host of SBS's Insight. 'An aching, longing book of hard-won truths. If you've ever felt homesick no matter where you are, or floored by grief and familial duty, let Kumi Taguchi and her story be your companion.' Kumi's story is at once so personal to her, yet utterly universal in our own search for identity, stories and the meaning of who we are at our core. A visceral, thoughtful and emotionally compelling read. 'Like the Japanese art of Kintsugi, Kumi weaves gold through the pieces of her life – and her father's – binding every part with empathy, compassion and understanding that will speak to anyone who has struggled to understand their parent, themselves and the world they live in.' 'A tender and contemplative reflection of the guideposts that have marked the life of one of Australia's premier long-form interviewers. Kumi turns the lens on herself to examine her family's kaleidoscopic multi-national heritage and choices formed by circumstance, tragedy and resilience.' 'Wow – it is hard to put down. Authentic, raw, relatable, beautifully written with a unique structure that is not typical of a memoir. Really loved it.'
