Charley, the 12-year old son of novelist Peter Carey (
My Life as a Fake) had become enamored with Japanese comic books called manga and, to a lesser extent, anime (manga content in movie form). Realizing the chance for a father-son trip, the pair travel to Japan to indulge Charley's curiousity about manga. While Peter Carey expected to see traditional Japan with tea ceremonies and Kabuki theater, Charley wants to explore the real Japan. Part generation gap and cultural differences, Peter Carey finds there's a lot to learn about both his son and about a country where he was "wrong about Japan." It's more a tale of a road trip and father/son bonding than an in depth exploration of Japanese culture and
Wrong About Japan has received mostly positive reviews. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says, "In this unlikely little memoir, which is lavishly illustrated, Peter Carey puts the culture back in the picture, while he choreographs an artful emotional tango between a father and son who are trying -- and mostly succeed -- not to be lost in translation with one another."
