African Samurai

African Samurai was one of the best books I read this year so far. I love my daily dose of historical fiction, and I particularly enjoyed its solid academical foundations. It is, simply put, a research paper that got out of hand then got storied. The book's last part entirely focuses on the anthropological studies and resources that helped the author craft this story.

I want to add that the name of this book honestly doesn't do it justice. I would argue that the main character of that book is Japan and its relationship to the world during the era of Oda Nobunaga. The peculiar story of Yasuke is there to illustrate the extremes of it.

Between other topics, I learned about the slave trade in that part of the world, the Indian Empire, the complexities of the relationship between Japan, China, and Korea, the importance of merchants, the mechanics of proselytization, the sacrifices required to stop the constant internal wars in Japan.

This book is an outstanding window into a different time and place.