How Do You Live?

Ages 10 to 14, Grades 5 to 9

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM STUDIO GHIBLI AND ANIME MASTER HAYAO MIYAZAKI (SPIRITED AWAY, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE) 

"In How Do You Live?, Copper, our hero, and his uncle are our guides in science, in ethics, in thinking. And on the way they take us, through a school story set in Japan in 1937, to the heart of the questions we need to ask ourselves about the way we live our lives. We will experience betrayal and learn about how to make tofu. We will examine fear, and how we cannot always live up to who we think we are, and we learn about shame, and how to deal with it. We will learn about gravity and about cities, and most of all, we will learn to think about things — to, as the writer Theodore Sturgeon put it, ask the next question." — from the Foreword by Neil Gaiman

This bestselling English-language translation of the Japanese classic about finding one’s place in the world is perfect for readers of philosophical fiction like Sophie's World, The Alchemist, or The Little Prince, as well as Miyazaki fans eager to learn more about his favorite book and final film.

About the Author

Genzaburō Yoshino (1899-1981) was a Japanese writer and publisher. In 1935, he became director of a collection of educational books for young people. When the acclaimed writer Yūzō Yamamoto was unable to complete a book on ethics as part of the series, Yoshino stepped in and wrote How Do You Live?. Since its debut as a novel and guide to philosophy for young people, How Do You Live? has sold more than two million copies, and been re-edited and republished more than eighty times to reflect the changing times and culture in Japan. 

Bruno Navasky is a teacher and writer, whose work as a translator and editor includes Festival in My Heart: Poems by Japanese Children and Poem in Your Pocket for Young Poets, as well as translations published in The New York Times and The Paris Review. He was the founding editor of American Poet, the journal of the Academy of American Poets, where he now serves on the board of directors. He lives and works in New York City.

Neil Gaiman is the author of many bestsellers for readers of all ages, including Stardust, American Gods, Sandman, Anansi Boys, Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett), The Graveyard Book (winner of the Newbery Medal), and Coraline. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.