『A PROMISE TO LIVE FOR』A message from the author

A PROMISE TO LIVE FOR
~The story of how two small children had to trek all alone across Manchuria in 1946~

A message from the author:

“A Promise To Live For” is a true story I wrote based on my mother’s childhood experience. My mother, born in 1936, was 10 years old when she and her 6-year old brother had to trek 550 km (340 miles) by themselves in Manchuria in order to go back to their homeland in 1946, one year after World War II concluded.

Immediately after we released the Japanese language version in 2016, newspaper, radio, and other media organizations in Japan ran multiple stories about the book.  Although the plight of the Japanese refugees in Manchuria was well known, most of the survivors have passed away now and so many people in Japan wanted to learn more through this first-hand, riveting account to gain a sense of the suffering caused by war.  The encouraging and supporting messages from the Japanese readers, including from some who faced the same hardships as my mother, showed that my mother’s story still stirred heartfelt emotions.   Based on this feedback, my husband, Tony, immediately encouraged me to publish an English language version of the book so that my mother’s story could be told worldwide.  Tony and I have lived in various countries due to his job so we are blessed to have friends across the world.   Many of these friends and relatives also showed great interest in my book once I told them about the Japanese version and also encouraged me to publish it in English to reach a wider audience.

My mother asked my son, Douglas, to translate the book from Japanese to English.  He was very honored and readily agreed to do so.  He did a wonderful job and I am proud of him.

It is my mother’s wish that this English version will spread her story from Japan to the rest of the world so that people of every nationality, including other 10-year old children, will learn about the horrors of war and do everything in their power to promote peace from their own households, schools and local communities to the entire world.

Finally, these are the thoughts my husband shared after reading the English version. “Although I had been familiar with my mother-in-law’s experience in Manchuria, I did not fully grasp the hardship and emotions she and her brother experienced until Douglas translated the book.  I could not only feel her fear, hunger, and exhaustion but also her determination and will to keep her promise to her mother in spite of all of the obstacles she had to overcome to do so. I admire and respect my mother-in-law even more. I love you, Iku, from the bottom of my heart.”

Amazon　A PROMISE TO LIVE FOR
　https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/429540229X/

英語版の出版にあたって

著者 Izumi Mochizuki Greubel

A PROMISE TO LIVE FORは、日本の敗戦から1年後の1946年、私の母・望月郁江（1936年生まれ、現・日本在住）が、10歳の時に6歳の弟とたった二人で、当時、家族で住んでいた満州から日本までの550㎞もの道のりを引き揚げてきた実話をもとに、長女の私（Izumi Mochizuki Greubel）が綴った物語です。

2016年に日本語で出版するやいなや（邦題『お母ちゃんとの約束』）、新聞などマスコミ各社でとりあげていただき、小学生から引き揚げ体験者の方まで多くの読者のみなさんから感想をいただきました。このたび英語版の出版を最も望んだのは、夫のトニーでした。引き揚げ体験者が高齢になる中、この本を日本だけでなく、世界中で読んでもらい、戦争の悲惨さや平和の大切さを訴えていく必要性があるのではないかと。私は夫の仕事の関係で海外赴任が多く、親戚、友人の多くは世界各地にいます。それらの多くの友人達も英語版出版の後押しをしてくれました。

翻訳は息子のダグラスが行いました。ダグラスはおばあちゃんからの依頼に誇りと喜びを感じ、一字一句大切に翻訳してくれました。

母が満州から引き揚げてきたのは10歳の時です。大人だけでなく、10歳の子供たちにもこの本を読んでいただきたい、そして、この本を通して、世界中の多くの方に戦争と平和について考える機会を得ていただけたら、それが私たちの本望です。

最後にーー。

ようやく英語で私の本を読むことが出来た夫の感想です。「義母の満州引き揚げの話は何度も聞いて知っていましたが、ダグラスが翻訳してくれたことにより、幼い子供二人が体験した様々な感情や詳しい当時の状況を知ることができました。この本を読みながら、幼い少女が体験した恐怖や飢えや疲労を共に味わうことができただけでなく、母親との約束を守るために必死に苦境を乗り越えていく信念というものが強く伝わってきました。義母に更なる敬意を感じます。お母さん、心から愛しています。」

＜基本情報＞

• A PROMISE TO LIVE FOR

~ The story of how two small children had to trek
all alone across Manchuria in 1946 ~

• Author Izumi Mochizuki Greubel
• Illustrated by Ikue “Iku” Mochizuki
• English translation by Douglas Mochizuki Greubel
• First edition 1st printing August 1, 2018
• Design Tsutomi Miyata
• publisher Yukimi Masuda / Pencom Co., Ltd.
• 2-20 Hitomarucho, Akashi-shi Hyogo Prefecture 673-0877
  http://pencom.co.jp
• Release Impress Corporation
• 105, 1 – chome, Kanda Jimbocho, Chiyoda ku Tokyo 101 – 0051 Tokyo
• Copyright 2018 Izumi Mochizuki Greubel
• ISBN 978-4-295-40229-9 C8095

To comment, request to purchase the book, and any other inquiries,
please send an email to “apromisetolivefor@gmail.com”
or visit https://www.facebook.com/apromisetolivefor/

• ISBN 978-4-295-40229-9　C8095

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