Product Description

No One's Perfect is a Kodansha International publication.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #827683 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-24
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .71 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 226 pages

From Publishers Weekly
This relentlessly upbeat memoir was a bestseller in Japan. In it, Ototake, a 24-year-old Japanese man born without arms and legs, recounts the story of his life and explains how he coped with disability and adversity: buoyed by his parents' generosity and love, he adopted an optimistic attitude and challenged himself to try anything. After a rocky startAhis father was so worried about his wife's reaction that he did not allow her to see the baby for the first three weeks of his lifeAhis parents did everything to insure that he would have a full life. Determined and loving, they managed to register Ototake in a mainstream school (rather than a special one for children with disabilities), launching him on an educational career marked by scholastic achievement and risk taking. In snappy, casual prose, he describes the creative rules his schoolmates drew up so that he could join their soccer games; he recounts playing junior high basketball on his stumps (he concentrated on passing, not shooting); and he describes how, in high school, his active athletic life almost jeopardized his academic career. Later, at Waseda University, he became an activist, speaking and writing about the necessity to create a "barrier free" environment. Well written, inspirational and politically relevant, this is a remarkable story. Photos not seen by PW. 50,000-copy first printing. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ototake was born with no arms or legs, yet grew up in Japan living as normal and active a life as possible by dent of his own determination and the encouragement of his family and friends. In this first-person account, written for readers of all ages, Ototake recounts the day-to-day challenges of living without arms or legs. He describes his education at regular schools, where he gained acceptance of classmates and overcame the skepticism of the teaching staff. Fueled by an aggressive personality, Ototake participated in athletics, within the limits of his abilities, playing basketball in middle school and managing the footfall team in high school. In college, he faced the obstacles of facilities not designed to accommodate the disabled and began a career as an advocate for creating barrier-free environments in a nation that had ignored the disabled until recently. Ototake is unsentimental in his recollections of coping with a disability, challenging his limitations, dealing with curious reactions, and making a place for himself in society. Inspiring. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Well written, inspirational and politically relevant, this is a remarkable story." -Publishers Weekly

"Inspiring." -Booklist

"A fascinating and inspiring account of a heroic life."-Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence

"A lovely, uplifting book ... Well worth reading."-Joanne Woodward

"Couldn't be more refreshing."-Los Angeles Times

"A powerful never-say-die attitude."-Washington Post

"A heart-warming memoir."-Kirkus Reviews

"Caused a major electric shock in his won country."-L'Express

"An incredible zest for life."-Sunday Times (Singapore)