Gaijin Yokozuna: A Biography of Chad Rowan

Most of what Rowan knew about Japan came as advice from his father as they were driving to the airport for the flight that would take Rowan there. He spoke no Japanese. He had never set foot in a sumo ring. He became a yokozuna, a top-ranked sumo wrestler, in five years. Panek (English, U. of Hawai'i), whose interest in sumo was piqued by the number of non-Japanese who began to excel in it in the early 1990s, carefully examines the intertwining cultures of sport and nationality, with an emphasis on how Rowan became gaijin, with its imbued values of hard work, patience, strength, and a dignity assumed to be uniquely Japanese. Panek follows Rowan through his decision to train, his dedication to a spiritually-based discipline he had only seen but never before practiced, his amazing success, and his retirement. Annotation c2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)