Local Hero's Journey Across The Globe Comes to Life In New Book

Oct. 18, 2012 - PRLog -- Arlington, MA (October 17, 2012)

A new novel takes inspiration from the life of Manjiro Nakahama, the first Japanese person to live and work and America in 1843. On the eve of the 170th anniversary of Manjiro's arrival in New Bedford, Massachusetts, G.L. Tysk's "The Sea-God at Sunrise" re-imagines the first leg of Manjiro's voyage from Japan to Hawaii.

"The Sea-God at Sunrise," set in 1841, follows two Japanese fishermen caught in a freak typhoon and rescued by an American whaling ship. "I wanted to explore Manjiro's story from the point of view of a teenager torn from his family and his country and forced to start all over again," says Tysk. "Japan had been isolated for 250 years. Not only did Manjiro have to learn a new language, he was literally discovering a new world. In the book, my characters go through everything from learning to tie their shoes to sailing a Western ship and administering Western medicine."

The book also touches on daily workings of the 19th century whaling industry, which was based in New England. "Whaling was the United States's first equal opportunity employer, its first worldwide industry, and the young country's first true 'melting pot'," says Tysk. "In the novel, there are crew members of multiple ethnicities aboard ship. There's tension there already, and adding in two Japanese teenagers brings all those racial and cultural questions to the forefront."

"The Sea-God at Sunrise" (ISBN: 9781301507238) is available on Amazon for Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Sea-God-at-Sunrise-ebook/dp/B00... and on eBook publishing site Smashwords for many other readers including Nook, iPad, Sony, and Kobo: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/245511.

The book is also available in print (ISBN 9781300221456) from Lulu.com: http://www.lulu.com/shop/ger-tysk/the-sea-god-at-sunrise/...

G.L. Tysk is a freelance writer. She received her B.A. in English Literature from the University of Texas at Austin. She lived briefly in Japan and now resides in Arlington  with her husband.