Book Review: How Do You Live? A Guide to Growing Up with Wisdom

By: Yunhan L., Grade 7

How Do You Live? is a short, reflective book about living one’s life morally, fairly, compassionately, you name it. The strength of this book—and why it has remained popular in Japan and worked itself into pop culture—lies in teaching by example. Through the experiences of a 15-year old boy named Copper living in prewar Tokyo, readers, both young and old alike, can learn more about life through Copper’s actions and his uncle’s wisdom. However, some may feel that this sacrifices the book’s character development and plot. 

The book follows the story of Copper and his three friends, Uragawa, Kitami, and Mizutani, at a middle school in Tokyo. Copper has an uncle, his mother’s brother. His father died a little before this book begins. In the book, Copper goes through his life, makes mistakes, and, helped by his uncle, learns to think deeply about the things he does. It is about gaining wisdom and becoming, as was his father’s dying wish, “a great person.” The book consists of both the main story part and a more didactic portion that offers a glimpse into Copper’s uncle’s musings through notes in a journal that he leaves to Copper. Combined, they, speak to the reader about how many people in the past tried to live a good life, and how to be truly great. 

Upon finishing this book, some will think that the story was not memorable enough. The lessons and the last lines will stick to you, sure, but the actual plot? It was a little forgettable, due to the lack of anything really unique happening or an unique cast of characters. Although Copper makes mistakes and stresses over them, readers would probably like a better look into his inner thoughts than we have now. Even though his friends are memorable, they are not fleshed out—flat characters instead of round. Another detracting element is that the main problem is not introduced until the middle, as the book spends quite a long time detailing how Copper meets and interacts with his friends. That said, the book’s main redeeming feature is how it forces the reader to reflect on its words—as in, taking five minutes out of an otherwise busy schedule to reflect with eyes closed about what the Uncle just said. Additionally, its lessons and premise—a boy learning from his uncle to make use of his life, to try to make it as just and wise as possible, even though it might be small and useless in the end—it is a good premise that sticks with readers for a long time. Even better, Bruno Navasky’s translation is perfectly concise and readable, even a little child-like and playful at times.

All in all, How Do You Live? is a serene book that invites us to reflect on important points about ethical conduct and learning from the past, but one that may feel a little uninteresting for some people. Not recommended for those who need a definitive plotline or vivid writing to be engaged—but worth a read for those who don’t.