I think this book is a good addition to everyone who already has knowledge of the bushido. The comparison and historical insights and information in this book are good, but if you look for something that gives you a better understanding of samurai and their code, I think you won't find it with this one.
The writing style makes it sometimes really hard to keep reading, but it is worth to finish the book. Still I'm a bit disappointed, since I expected something else.

Free from Netgalley

This was incredibly boring and very preachy. It seemed more like a lament of losing the samurai instead of an educational tool.

Bushido: The Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe is a book about the code of the Samurai,in particular its emphasis on chivalry, and compares that to supposed,but in reality mythical,chivalric values of England. Just having "values" and "England" in the same sentence shows the books age,as does the archaic and florid language throughout,it was originally written in 1900.
While that can make it a slow read, and often quite unintentionally amusing, it's interesting as a period piece and as long as you accept that it's very much "of it's era" and does in parts read like an academic treatise the underlying book is a worthwhile read if you know what to expect.
This isn't a book to hurry.the author's writing style makes that impossible anyway,and it does take a long time and far too many words to give it's message but it does have charm and is an insight not only into Bushido but a style of writing long since disappeared.

Such a powerful book that holds so much wisdom, even for a modern audience. One I will reread multiple times because it is packed with wisdom.

I requested this fresh off my Shōgun high, especially after I have been trying to read up on East Asian mythology. Big mistake. This was not for me.

Clearly a lot of people enjoyed it, but I found this boring, outdated, and an impractical comparison between East and West. I wanted a deeper understanding of bushido, in how it relates to samurais, and collectivism. I'm not entirely sure what I got instead.

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Amber Books