Ruth Ozeki

Summaries of Sources:

Submitted by Yuko Sinnott: "Meaty Commentary" by Stephan Faris is an interesting book review. The review starts with various red meat warnings that we hear through the media. Though the warnings are soon washed out by Faris' comment, "but what can you do? Gotta die somehow, right?" Faris provides a good length of the story line, settings,plot, and the two main characters: Jane Takagi-Little and Akiko Ueno. Faris also touches Ozeki's unique writing styles, such as her usage of faxes, letters, scripts, and the Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon, who was "a lady-in-waiting to the 11th century Empress Sadako" in Japan. Ozeki inserts a piece of Shonagon's writings from the Pillow Book at the beginning of every chapter in My Year of Meats, and Faris explains why the Pillow Book is so important in Ozeki's novel. To close the commentary, Faris goes back to the meat issue by saying that what Ozeki has pointed out in her novel isn't something we didn't know before. "So why do we still eat meat?" is Faris' question and his answer concludes the commentary.

The article "Why Write a Diatribe When You Can Write a Novel?" consists of a brief book review and an interview with Ozeki. The introduction presents a few disturbing meat facts that are actually mentioned in My Year of Meats, then the short book review follows the "horrifying realities" of meat. The interview with Ozeki reveals that Ozeki didn't intend to write a book about beef at first; however, "the meat industry turned out to be the perfect metaphor" to write a novel that will show how corrupted our current information system is by commercial influences. Ozeki talks about the close relationship of the media and the commercial sponsors, which she learned through her work experience in the television industry. Ozeki expresses her concern with our profit-driven society where providers willing to risk consumers' well-being for profit. Ozeki ends the interview with the comment, "I want the book to be an invitation to think about this."

Marcelle Hayden

Ruth Ozeki was born in the U.S. Raised by a American father and a Japanese mother. After college she started out her career as a b-horror movie director then moved on to Japanese production work. When she tired of TV work Ozeki started to make her own movies. When asked if she always wanted to be a filmmaker she said that she always wanted to be a novelist. Now when she writes she uses her knowledge of filmmaking to make her books better. What did Ozeki do for extracurricular activities in school.? Why a novelist?

Summary 2 Ozeki Graduated from Smith College with degrees in eng. Lit and Asian studies. She went to Japan to study Asian lit. When she came back she started directing b- horror movies. Then worked with Japanese production work. After this she started making her own movies. The novel My Year of meats is her first. She is working on the second and living in New York City and B.C.

Why does she live in New York and British Columbia? What is her second novel about?

James Schomer

Gail Tsukiyama, from Pacific Rim Voices, reviews the story line of Ruth Ozeki's novel My Year of Meats clearly. She describes the elements of struggle between the key characters in the story and the fundamentals that shape the accountability of actions from those affecting the outcome. Describing the educational aspect represented in the book, Gail points out the discoveries that are made and the bearing they ultimately have reaching an eventual compelling ending. I don't agree with her assessment of the story having an assertion in the divergence of issues confronted in the story. It uses the bases of their issues to achieve personal growth rather than address the idea of those issues in regards to a solution of their problematic nature. The concept of the two characters Jane and Akiko, "finding their voices," had me wondering at what point in the story this understanding occurred? I ran through that notion, unnoticing its maturity, but rather centering my attention on the details of story line progress. I'm going to reread sections of the book I think that pertain to that portion character development. Question 1: Was there a sub theme on addressing the social issues like bulimia and domestic violence? Question 2: Would this a book be appropriate on a High School level?

Ruth Ozeki, the author of the 1998 Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize winning novel My Year of Meats, investigates the correlations involving film and fiction, and talks about truth. During this interview by Annie Cook, Ruth Ozeki says she is working on a second book but doesn't reveal the nature or content of the book. Cook points out the possibility of something from her childhood, in consideration to their conversation. Ozeki finds that she could not have written her novel without the experience and tools derived from making film. Content, which is a large part of her novel, documentary work, works more for Ozeki than just a character's job to establish a characters base. Ozeki doesn't apply what she's writing to ethic group. In her writing she believes she hasn't made that association since this is her only book to so far. Her transition from film work to writing was smooth, since she wanted to write anyway, she just got attracted to the work of film more rapidly. This interview portrays Ruth Ozeki as a bit cocky but completely aware of the significance of writing something well. She shows her universal feelings and values with a nice logical examination. Ozeki doesn't allow herself to be accepted within the bounds of any racial context. Being she is bi-racial, she using that element of herself to extract new subject matter and information of a special nature for her writing. Question 1. Why does make an effort to separate herself from her culture and then want culture to accept her writing? Question 2. How much of her book is actually Autobiographical?

Shelley Storey

This is an interview with Annie Cok, for ten magazine. This is a semiannual publication produced by The Asian, American Writers' Workshop; their goal is help in the development of Asian, American artists. They also sponsor workshops, readings and even offer fellowships to aspiring artists. In this interview we learn about Ruth Ozekis work background and how she came to write My Year of Meats. Ms. Ozeki won a scholarship to attend college in Japan, while she was there she taught English to school children and also worked in commercials. When she tired of that work, she tried to write a novel, but soon abandoned the idea and went back into the media world. Her first go at it, she says, " was a fluke." She began her career in film, as the art director for horror films, moving her way up to creating the storyboards for these films. This was in the 1980's, in the 1990's she started to make her own films. Her first was Body of Correspondence, and next was Halving the Bones; this film went on to be shown at the Sundance film festival. After she had become an accomplished in the film world, she again tried her luck at writing a novel; this is when she wrote My Year of Meats. This was her first novel and went on to become very popular. She was asked to write a screenplay for the book, and had initially agreed but changed her mind, for "she could only see this piece of work as a novel."

The next summary is a review of My Year of Meats by Nora Cody, who writes for In Motion Magazine. This review was a part of an ongoing series, geared towards issues in health and medical research. She liked the novel, and her review was very good. She told us a lot about the book, but not so much as to make us not want to read it. She does however; intrigue us to read it by, tantalizing us with hints about recipes included in the book like, "Coca Cola Roast." But the sensationalism, I thought was a bit much. By telling of only three of the families, the lesbian couple, the African American family, and the large adoptive family, she covered all races, beliefs, etc., except the traditional American family, that she says the book is about. Would these have been considered to boring for a review? In closing this review, Ms. Cody does include the information that Ms Ozeki put in the back of the book about DES, and ended it with, "We are grateful for the listing."

Sensationalism sells, the editorial staff at "ten" drops, Leonardo Di Caprios' name. A sure sell to get us to read the article from Cok, on Ms. Ozeki. Why are we so stupid? Did the chicken cross the road? Which came first,? Oh never mind.

Trent DeBaere

DESaction.org is a "nation wide, non-profit consumer organization dedicated to informing the public about DES (diethylstilbestrol) and helping DES-exposed individuals". They provide support group information, chat rooms, and mailing list for victims of DES. Their website also contains general info, FAQs, and links to other DES websites. There a major sponsor of the DES Action International Colloquium, a conference held in Washington DC to raise awareness and provide treatment for DES victims. DESaction.org also prints a quarterly newsletter called The DES Action Voice.

The DES Cancer Network is a group that "addresses the special needs of women who have had clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina and/or cervix- a cancer linked to exposure to DES before birth". Their goals are to help cancer patients stay in contact with one another, alleviate emotional and sexual concerns, address medical concerns, and to educate patients, the general public, and doctors to aid in early diagnosis and treatment. They have a FAQs and timeline section that tells the history of DES and related health sections.

I. What is the time frame for DES daughters and sons to have been exposed? II. How much evidence is there for DES causing lower sperm counts? III. Can women who have a vaginectomy still have sex?