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Michael Pronko

“Tokyo is as complex as a long novel, as confusing as an avant-garde film and, sometimes, as strikingly beautiful as calligraphy.”

Part memoir, part travelogue, and part culture guide, Beauty and Chaos taps into the daily mysteries and poignant moments that make living in Tokyo a baffling delight. After two-plus decades writing, teaching, and living in Tokyo, American novelist and literature professor, Michael Pronko, reveals what’s beneath the gleaming, puzzling exteriors of the biggest city in the world. 

Whether contemplating Tokyo’s bonsai houses, pachinko parlors, chopstick ballet, or the perilous habit of running for trains, Pronko explores Tokyo’s back alleys and curious interactions to find the city’s deeper meanings and daily pleasures.

Tokyo emerges a fascinating city full of chaotic commotion and serene beauty—one of the most amazing, confusing places in the world.

 

Gold Award eLit Awards for Essays/Creative Non-Fiction

Gold Award Non-Fiction Author’s Association

Gold Award First Place Reader’s Favorite for Cultural Non-Fiction 

Best Nonfiction Books of 2015 Doing Dewey

 

“A clear-eyed but affectionate portrait of a city that reaches beyond simple stereotypes. An elegantly written, precisely observed portrait of a Japanese city and its culture.” Kirkus Reviews

Tokyo Moments

Beauty and Chaos

“A rare glimpse of the structure and nature of Tokyo's underlying psyche.” Midwest Book Review

Award-winning novelist Michael Pronko examines Tokyo as a place, a culture, and a series of intense experiences. Tokyo’s Mystery Deepens digs into the enigmatic sides of Tokyo with humor, delicacy, and enchantment. A transplanted American from the Midwest, Pronko’s observations and experiences open up the many, miniscule doors into Tokyo life.

More than just a setting for novels and films, Tokyo is a lively, interactive space that constantly pops up questions: How do you sweat politely in Tokyo’s sweltering summers? How do you glance sideways on crowded trains? How do homeowners transform a sliver of space into an impeccable garden? The answers are not what one might expect.

From the smooth flow of crowds to the rhythms of housewives pounding their futons, in this third memoir, Tokyo comes alive with its mysteries intact and deeper than ever.

Tokyo's Mystery Deepens

“Takes the sweeping size, bustle, and chaos of Tokyo and makes it small, introspective, and personal,” Independent Publisher. 

“Captures the essence and allure of Tokyo.” Feathered Quill.

“A memoir to be savored like a fine red wine,” Publishers Daily.

Motions and Moments captures the ceaseless flow and brief momentary dramas of the biggest city in the world with gentle humor and rich detail. As in his first two books, this third memoir of life in Tokyo explores the uniqueness of living in small spaces, learning to love crowds, sitting under cherry blossoms, and surviving the 2011 earthquake. These short, personal pieces go deeper into the fascinating undercurrents of life in Tokyo.

After two-plus decades living, teaching, and writing in Tokyo, the author remains fascinated by how Tokyoites work, commute, and eat standing up at elbow-bumping counters. With an eye for detail and a passion for the city, the writing is steeped in the city’s perpetual energy. Motions and Moments is one American’s exploration of the intricate life in one of the most dynamic places in the world. 

Winner Best Indie Book Award Non-Fiction

Indie Groundbreaking Book Independent Publisher Book Review

Gold Award Readers’ Favorite Non-Fiction Cultural

Gold Award Global E-Book Awards Travel Writing

Gold Award Non-Fiction Author’s Association

More at: www.michaelpronko.com