by Kelly

I can’t think of a more perfect book for me.

The Haiku Apprentice, written by Abigail Friedman, combines global travel — my long-time love — with memoir — my favorite sort of book to read — with haiku — my current literary obsession.

And you want to know the best part?

The book rocks!

Which was such a relief. Considering all the things it had going for it, my expectations were admittedly high. But lucky, lucky me, The Haiku Apprentice rose to meet — and exceed — each of my overblown hopes.

Since turning its final page, I’ve recommended this book to several people who’ve asked me about the ins-and-outs and whys-and-hows of haiku.

The book offers lessons about the history and culture of haiku while surrounding these themes with an overarching travel tale.

The author, Friedman, is an American woman living in Japan and working as a diplomat. One evening, while attending a work function, an older Japanese gentleman invites her to join his haiku group. She doesn’t consider herself a poet, but decides to attend on a lark.

However, before she herself knows what’s happened, she gets hooked on haiku. What follows is her attempt to understand the essence of haiku. Her quest is to discover what makes haiku “Japanese.”

The book really helped me understand the ideals for which haiku strives. Plus, at the end, it offers suggestions for how to form a haiku group (something I envision myself doing one of these days).

If you’re just starting out in the haiku world, or if you’ve been haiku’ing for a long time, or if you don’t care a lick about haiku and just want to read an interesting travel story, I totally and unequivocally recommend The Haiku Apprentice.

Find it on Amazon: The Haiku Apprentice: Memoirs of Writing Poetry in Japan