Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window

The long-awaited sequel to the bestselling book in Japanese history is finally here! Over forty years ago, Japanese pop culture icon Tetsuko Kuroyanagi ended the memoir chronicling her childhood adventures at the unconventional Tomoe Gakuen with that beloved school burning down amidst the bombs of WWII. Now, inspired by contemporary events, she has returned to continue Totto’s tale! ­Beginning with her family’s frantic effort to escape Tokyo and the worst of the war, ­Kuro­yanagi details how that little girl persevered through starvation and suffering to become a trailblazing actress, a champion for the deaf and children the world over, and one of the most successful entertainers in Japanese history. “Ms. Kuroyanagi is distinguished above all by her longevity, but she was also a trailblazing woman in an overwhelmingly male environment.” —The New York Times