The acclaimed global sensation, from one of Japan's most notable manga artists: the concluding volume in the story of Yaichi, his daughter Kana, and how their meeting Mike Flanagan—Yaichi's brother-in-law—changes their lives and their perceptions of acceptance of homosexuality in their contemporary Japanese culture.

As Mike continues his journey of discovery concerning Ryoji's past, Yaichi gradually comes to understand that being gay is just another way of being human. And that, in many ways, remains a radical concept in Japan even today. In the meantime, the bond between Mike and young Kana grows ever stronger, and yet he is going to have to return to Canada soon—a fact that fills them both with impending heartbreak. But not before more than a few revelations come to light.
© Courtesy of the Author
GENGOROH TAGAME was born in 1964 and lives in Tokyo. After graduating from Tama University of Art, Tagame worked as an art director while writing manga and prose fiction, contributing illustrations for various magazines. In 1994 he cofounded the epochal G-Men Magazine, and by 1996 he was working full-time as an openly gay artist. He is the author of dozens of graphic novels and stories, which have been translated into English, French, Italian, and Korean. His artwork has been exhibited in galleries across Europe and America. His first all-ages title, My Brother’s Husband, earned him the Japan Media Arts Festival Award for Outstanding Work of Manga from the Agency for Cultural Affairs. In 2018 it received the Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia. View titles by Gengoroh Tagame
Praise for Volume 2 of My Brother's Husband:

“The second volume, which unfolds in Tagame’s forthright, approachable black and white, has a pedagogical tone (cue high jinks and life lessons), but this is offset by its genuine humor, and its deceptively sophisticated investigation into the nature of love, marriage, divorce, bereavement and nontraditional child-rearing across multiple contexts.”
—Hillary Chute, The New York Times

“Achingly true . . . At its heart, My Brother's Husband is the story of a man coming to terms with the unquestioned cultural assumptions he's harbored all his life. But the genius of Tagame's art lies in its ability to slyly suggest—but by no means insist—that Yaichi's real journey of discovery may have just begun.”
—NPR

“This manga is powerful, and Tagame's prowess within the genre shines through every page . . . [My Brother's Husband] sneaks up on you, steals your heart away and refuses to return it . . . It will absolutely not disappoint.” 
—Looking Glass Reads

“My Brother's Husband
is not a subtle manga, but it is a legitimately moving one. By realistically portraying how prejudice and discrimination directly impact the characters' lives and deeply inform their relationships, Tagame's message of love is made abundantly clear.” 
Manga Bookshelf

“Poignant emotional depth . . . [a] gentle story . . . This well-paced, empathy-building story has lots of appeal and would be a good choice for readers making their first forays into manga.” 
Booklist

“[This] proves a heart-filling resolution. Readers will want tissues in hand for the final, bittersweet pages of this remarkable series.” 
Kirkus Reviews [starred review]

“Tagame's mastery of the human form allows him to simplify his approach . . . lending the book an inviting, open cartooning style, and further positioning My Brother's Husband as an accessible look at what it means to be gay in a different culture.” 
Paste Magazine

Praise for Volume 1 of My Brother's Husband:


“Not only is My Brother’s Husband very touching; it’s also, for the non-Japanese reader, unexpectedly fascinating. Gay life remains largely closeted in Japan, and Tagame’s complex but deftly told story seeks to examine the effect such secrecy has, not only on those who must live it, but also on their wider family relationships.”
The Guardian (London) 

“This is the best all-ages LGBT graphic novel I've read since I discovered gay Manga . . . This is a wise, gentle, funny and pyrotechnical piece of Japanese story-telling . . . It has a lot to do with my own life, and I'm willing to bet that it has a lot to do with yours, whoever you are, the way the best story-telling often does . . .”
—Samuel Delaney

“Refreshing. Transporting. Clever. Inspiring. If these are qualities that help books rise to the top of your summer reading list, your new number one is My Brother’s Husband . . . The story moves along quietly and gently, Tagame cleverly evoking parallels between mutual misperceptions of gays and straights, older and younger generations, Westerners and Japanese.” 
Passport Magazine

“Inviting black-and-white illustrations deftly capture the characters' wide range of emotions, from joy to grief and beyond . . . Endearing and enlightening.”
Kirkus Reviews [starred review]

About

The acclaimed global sensation, from one of Japan's most notable manga artists: the concluding volume in the story of Yaichi, his daughter Kana, and how their meeting Mike Flanagan—Yaichi's brother-in-law—changes their lives and their perceptions of acceptance of homosexuality in their contemporary Japanese culture.

As Mike continues his journey of discovery concerning Ryoji's past, Yaichi gradually comes to understand that being gay is just another way of being human. And that, in many ways, remains a radical concept in Japan even today. In the meantime, the bond between Mike and young Kana grows ever stronger, and yet he is going to have to return to Canada soon—a fact that fills them both with impending heartbreak. But not before more than a few revelations come to light.

Author

© Courtesy of the Author
GENGOROH TAGAME was born in 1964 and lives in Tokyo. After graduating from Tama University of Art, Tagame worked as an art director while writing manga and prose fiction, contributing illustrations for various magazines. In 1994 he cofounded the epochal G-Men Magazine, and by 1996 he was working full-time as an openly gay artist. He is the author of dozens of graphic novels and stories, which have been translated into English, French, Italian, and Korean. His artwork has been exhibited in galleries across Europe and America. His first all-ages title, My Brother’s Husband, earned him the Japan Media Arts Festival Award for Outstanding Work of Manga from the Agency for Cultural Affairs. In 2018 it received the Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia. View titles by Gengoroh Tagame

Praise

Praise for Volume 2 of My Brother's Husband:

“The second volume, which unfolds in Tagame’s forthright, approachable black and white, has a pedagogical tone (cue high jinks and life lessons), but this is offset by its genuine humor, and its deceptively sophisticated investigation into the nature of love, marriage, divorce, bereavement and nontraditional child-rearing across multiple contexts.”
—Hillary Chute, The New York Times

“Achingly true . . . At its heart, My Brother's Husband is the story of a man coming to terms with the unquestioned cultural assumptions he's harbored all his life. But the genius of Tagame's art lies in its ability to slyly suggest—but by no means insist—that Yaichi's real journey of discovery may have just begun.”
—NPR

“This manga is powerful, and Tagame's prowess within the genre shines through every page . . . [My Brother's Husband] sneaks up on you, steals your heart away and refuses to return it . . . It will absolutely not disappoint.” 
—Looking Glass Reads

“My Brother's Husband
is not a subtle manga, but it is a legitimately moving one. By realistically portraying how prejudice and discrimination directly impact the characters' lives and deeply inform their relationships, Tagame's message of love is made abundantly clear.” 
Manga Bookshelf

“Poignant emotional depth . . . [a] gentle story . . . This well-paced, empathy-building story has lots of appeal and would be a good choice for readers making their first forays into manga.” 
Booklist

“[This] proves a heart-filling resolution. Readers will want tissues in hand for the final, bittersweet pages of this remarkable series.” 
Kirkus Reviews [starred review]

“Tagame's mastery of the human form allows him to simplify his approach . . . lending the book an inviting, open cartooning style, and further positioning My Brother's Husband as an accessible look at what it means to be gay in a different culture.” 
Paste Magazine

Praise for Volume 1 of My Brother's Husband:


“Not only is My Brother’s Husband very touching; it’s also, for the non-Japanese reader, unexpectedly fascinating. Gay life remains largely closeted in Japan, and Tagame’s complex but deftly told story seeks to examine the effect such secrecy has, not only on those who must live it, but also on their wider family relationships.”
The Guardian (London) 

“This is the best all-ages LGBT graphic novel I've read since I discovered gay Manga . . . This is a wise, gentle, funny and pyrotechnical piece of Japanese story-telling . . . It has a lot to do with my own life, and I'm willing to bet that it has a lot to do with yours, whoever you are, the way the best story-telling often does . . .”
—Samuel Delaney

“Refreshing. Transporting. Clever. Inspiring. If these are qualities that help books rise to the top of your summer reading list, your new number one is My Brother’s Husband . . . The story moves along quietly and gently, Tagame cleverly evoking parallels between mutual misperceptions of gays and straights, older and younger generations, Westerners and Japanese.” 
Passport Magazine

“Inviting black-and-white illustrations deftly capture the characters' wide range of emotions, from joy to grief and beyond . . . Endearing and enlightening.”
Kirkus Reviews [starred review]

Celebrate 100 years of James Baldwin

We’re celebrating the centennial of James Baldwin’s birth by sharing a collection of his work. Explore titles and learn more about the literary legend and civil rights champion.   James Baldwin (1924–1987) was a novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. His first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, appeared in 1953 to excellent reviews, and his

Read more

The New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

The New York Times recently published their list “100 Best Books of the 21st Century.” We are pleased to announce that there are 49 titles published from Penguin Random House and its distribution clients included in this list. Browse our collection of Penguin Random House titles here. Browse the full list from The New York

Read more

2024 Middle and High School Collections

The Penguin Random House Education Middle School and High School Digital Collections feature outstanding fiction and nonfiction from the children’s, adult, DK, and Grupo Editorial divisions, as well as publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Peruse online or download these valuable resources to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: English Language Arts,

Read more

PRH Education High School Collections

All reading communities should contain protected time for the sake of reading. Independent reading practices emphasize the process of making meaning through reading, not an end product. The school culture (teachers, administration, etc.) should affirm this daily practice time as inherently important instructional time for all readers. (NCTE, 2019)   The Penguin Random House High

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more

PRH Education Classroom Libraries

“Books are a students’ passport to entering and actively participating in a global society with the empathy, compassion, and knowledge it takes to become the problem solvers the world needs.” –Laura Robb   Research shows that reading and literacy directly impacts students’ academic success and personal growth. To help promote the importance of daily independent

Read more