Laughing heartily, then feeling a little melancholic. Strangely comforting, yet somehow sad. A book I want to keep close and take out to look at whenever I need comfort.

I love and cherish Yoko Sano's writings and illustrations. I first discovered her in my mid-twenties when a friend gifted me her picture book, *The Cat Who Lived a Million Times*, and since then I have read several of her essay collections. This book, *I Don't Try Hard*, is a collection of essays she wrote in her middle age. The reason I was able to read it with such a fast pace was her honest, straightforward, and lighthearted sentences. While I like honesty, it can sometimes feel burdensome,

I Don't Try Hard: An essay collection by Yoko Sano, whom I first came to know through *The Cat That Lived a Million Times*. Reportedly written in her mid-40s, this collection is a book that captures reality just as it is, with a calm demeanor. She wrote with such honesty, though the historical context may differ slightly. There are many relatable passages. “Once a woman becomes a mother, she becomes nothing but a mother........ People without children must be so lucky, so carefree. This is not

An essay by Yoko Sano, author of *The Cat Who Lived a Million Times*. I like the title: *I Don't Work Hard!* Perhaps it is because, in an era where people urge and pressure us to work hard, this book gives the feeling that we don't need to. As I read on, I felt flustered as if my own bare face was being dug up along with hers; at times, I chuckled. I seem to have fallen deeply for her unique and honest charm. Her story is light, yet by no means superficial. How is she in her 40s different from

Perhaps because this book was written by Yoko Sano in her mid-40s, it was a text that resonated deeply with me and offered great comfort. As I enjoy reading essays slowly, I read it at a leisurely pace, savoring every word. Reading her makes me think that it is okay just the way I am. In particular, the passage that felt like the core message was: "<'What does it mean to live?' 'It means somehow managing to do this or that until you die. You don't have to do anything extraordinary.'>". I

I had heard the name Yoko Sano, the author of the picture book *The Cat Who Lived a Million Times* and a famous essayist, so I had been thinking that I should read some of her essays. I was fortunate enough to come across the revised edition of *I Don't Try Hard* (*Ganbarimasen*: Am I the only one who feels the Japanese word rolls off the tongue better? lol). Born in 1938, the author is known for publishing many works that harmonize humor-filled illustrations with rhythmic writing, while deeply

It is serious yet cheerful. One moment completely dejected, the next is completely uninhibited. Is this what the "veteranship" of someone who has lived a full life looks like? From raising a son who felt like a "different being" with whom communication was impossible, to the steadfast journey of being diagnosed with an incurable disease and finally shaking it off one day, the book fully covers the small details and twists and turns of daily life that unchangingly repeat and bloom within that