Book description
In the early 1950s, numerous cases of organic mercury poisoning were discovered in the fishing villages around Minamata, Japan. Yet for decades after, victims of what is now known as Minamata disease suffered neglect, discrimination, and ostracism by Minamata residents, local government, labor unions, Minamata disease certification committees, and fishers'…
- Coming soon!
Why read it?
1 author picked Paradise in the Sea of Sorrow as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
This is another tear-jerker.
It tells the story of one of Japan’s worst manmade environmental disasters. The author documents the suffering of victims of mercury poisoning caused by consuming seafood tainted by industrial waste. The lyrical descriptions of people and place contrast starkly with the sheer horror of the events being depicted.
There are other books on Minamata disease, but this one—part oral history and part “new journalism”—hits closest to home. I couldn’t stop reading it.
From Bruce's list on Japanese environmental history.
If you love Paradise in the Sea of Sorrow...
These Blue Mountains
A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.
German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…
Want books like Paradise in the Sea of Sorrow?
Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 30 books like Paradise in the Sea of Sorrow.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,395
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like Paradise in the Sea of Sorrow, you might also like...
Need to Know
The authoritative but accessible history of the birth of modern American intelligence in World War II that treats not just one but all of the various disciplines: spies, codebreakers, saboteurs.
Told in a relatable style that focuses on actual people, it was a New Yorker "Best of 2022" selection and…
Tsunami
On the morning of December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The resulting tsunami killed an estimated 230,000 people across fourteen countries, from Indonesia to Sri Lanka to Thailand to the Maldives to India and all the way to East Africa.…
