My Year of Meats

When I first started reading My Year of Meats, I was quite disappointed because I was getting confused on what character was speaking and with the plot switching so often it was hard for me to get into the book and become deeply engrossed in the plot. However, after I understood the concept of "My American Wife!" I started to finally understand the plot of the book and care for the characters. For example, Jane, who was once someone who I just saw as the producer of the show, became a round character with a variety of enduring characteristic traits. She was someone by the end of the book that I felt sympathy and respect for. I loved that she cared about the families that she went to visit and actually connected with them rather than just filming their lives and then leaving without caring about their personalities or actual hardships. I saw her as a strong woman because while she could not have a baby herself she took this hardship and turned it into something that would inform and help the entire world by telling them about the chemical DES. In addition, I really started to care about Akiko and became attached to her as a character when I started to passionately dislike the character John. He made me so angry in the book because of his lack to understand what Akiko was going through and help her through her struggles. I was extremely happy that Akiko decided to move to America away from her husband at the end because it showed that she could finally stand up for herself; however, my perfect ending would not have been what actually occurred in the end. I did not like how Akiko was able to get her own apartment and live the regular American lifestyle. I would have liked to see Akiko go to America for a visit and see Jane and the families on the television show; however, I think she should have returned to Japan. I thought it was good that she escaped but I would have liked to see her travel back to Japan to raise her child and show that she could live a successful and fulfilling life in Japan and not just America.