Not sure what to rate this

Interesting story, but it was more facts history about Feudal Japan and the first African Samurai. Knowing it was about Yasuke life when he was kidnapped by Raiders and used as a bodyguard to a priest and than he reached to Japan and than given to Lord Nobunaga.


Not my norm of reading nonfiction, but read for a reading prompt for the Magical Readathon,
Saw this on someone tbr and thought I'll check it out.

Fascinating look at a place and time I know little about. Fair warning the battle details are...detailed.

An engaging look at an interesting moment in history. Well-researched and gives much food for thought

Warning, though, there is quite a lot of raw and sometimes gruesome content if that sort of thing bothers you: slavery, human trafficking, torture, murder, etc.

Interesting account of Yasuke, the African Samurai. However, this is as much a "historical fiction," recounting of the fall of Oda Nobunaga, and some conjecture on the possible untold story of Yasuke. The authors are clearly trying to do a lot with a little.

While interesting, it was often hard to sift through historical fiction and actual fact. I would say you can get the brunt of the facts from a Google search, so only read if you are really interested in Japanese history.

I received a copy of this book for free through a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

An interesting examination of someone not many may know about. The book is very well researched with many notes which were useful throughout. It's not necessary to read the notes, though, to get the complete picture. While Lockley does drift into 'historical fiction' a little (describing how Yasuke 'feels' at certain points) it's not done excessively, nor does it really distract.

I really didn't know much about feudal Japan, so the history within was interesting and new to me, which I appreciated. It's not only an account of Yasuke, but also of the time in which he lived. Warlords, battles, and plenty of historical content throughout. Pick it up if you are interested in specific eras of Japanese history, or just history in general.

This took me all of 2024 to finish. Weirdly edited and written like a dry lecture trying to inject some pizzazz into itself. While it was all conjecture (because there is very little information about Yasuke), I finished the book feeling like I knew even less about the subject than when I started - and I knew nothing when I started! Two stars because there was some art in the book and that was cool. Will be gifting for a white elephant or dirty santa party.

It was way more historical fiction instead of biography that I was hoping for. It was good once.