Ganbatte! The Japanese Art of Always Moving Forward (Albert Liebermann)

 Verdict: Skip.

My take: I liked the sample, but the idea behind ganbatte, doing the best you can with whatever you're doing, doesn't need to stretch into a $10 book. The sample leans on lists of what a procrastinator might do versus someone who embraces ganbatte, which reminded me of Goofus and Gallant from Highlights magazine. If you're researching Japanese culture or want specific actions to try, you might enjoy it. For me, I'm skipping the book and applying ganbatte to the $10 instead.

What others say:

  • Agree: Several Goodreads reviewers found it repetitive, with one doubting that a single word can fill a whole book, and another saying it lacked depth.
  • Disagree: Publishers Weekly called it an enjoyable debut, and a few Goodreads readers liked its lists, examples, and thought-reframing tables best.
  • Worth knowing: The full book is 160 pages of about 50 short chapters, with "Ganbatte Rules" sprinkled in as short action steps.

Bottom line: A gentle, example-driven pep talk if you want one; skip it if the one-line idea already does the job.

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