Gambling with Virtue gives insightful information about women living in Japan through the detailed interviews of women and the experiences of the author. It focuses on women in Japan and changes they had to go through during the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. Nancy Rosenberger uses the theatrical stage and all of its elements as an analogy for the everyday life of women in Japan.
In the beginning of the book, Rosenberger tells a story of a young Japanese woman named Sasaki during the 1970s. She is in her early twenties, a skilled calligrapher, and she teaches at a high school known for its students who get accepted into well known colleges. The author, also at that time an English teacher at the same school, tells of Sasaki’s interactions with co-workers, students, and her family, showing the different roles Sasaki takes on everyday. Rosenberger, after her story, then breaks down the Japanese life into theatrical elements: the way you act in public as being the front stage, while the more relaxed and open self is the person backstage. She also speaks about the common role of the woman at this time: the housewife. She gives a few examples of how some women make power in a powerless position, and how mothers sacrifice their lives to provide for their children. The author tells one story of a mother named Kikuchi-san, who “tried to manage her life so that she could move among different modes of life and experience different kinds of energy” (Rosenberger 51). Rosenberger identifies Kikuchi-san as the scene designer: she cared for her family, created a lovely atmosphere at home, and always praised her husband. The analogy is dead-on, as are the many other examples of people in this book. Rosenberger then revisits these people during the ‘80s when she was a researcher, and then again on her two visits to Japan during the ‘90s, showing how they’ve changed or haven’t changed with modern Japan. Before, women were not encouraged to become strong in education as it was the men who received promotions; sexually speaking, they were only really seen as a reproductive unit or as one who fulfills sexual favors. Rosenberger gives vivid examples of women in these situations and then interprets stories in a way the reader can understand without much background knowledge.
Beth Katzoff, a reviewer for The Library of Congress, gives her overall opinion in the conclusion of her review entitled Revealing Selves:
| As a whole, this book makes the lives of Japanese women accessible to a broad audience. It would best be used in a class about Japanese society or Japanese women and society, or by general readers curious about the challenges faced by Japanese women over the past thirty years. What it lacks in theoretical and analytical rigor, Gambling with Virtue makes up for in vivid illustration. (Revealing Selves) |