Review

Title: Zion Earth Zen Sky
Author: Charles Shirō Inouye
Publisher: Living Faith Book (Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship), Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
Genre: Autobiography
Year Published: 2021
Copyright: 2021
Number of Pages: 249
Binding: Soft Cover
ISBN13: 978-1-9503-0411-0
Price: 19.95

Reviewed by Denice Mouncé for the Association for Mormon Letters

Zion Earth Zen Sky is raw and powerful, an engaging autobiography that pulls the reader in and won’t let go. Charles Shirō Inouye is a gifted storyteller. In Zion Earth Zen Sky he utilizes extremely short stories from his life to walk the reader chronologically, from the sunbaked desert fields of his childhood around the world and back again. On this journey, the reader discovers through the author’s experiences a kindred spirit searching for life’s meaning. These short stories are interspersed with Haiku, each poignant and contemplative. The author pulls the reader into his world with a new perspective where the Western doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meet Eastern Spiritualism as one man struggles through life to find his faith, his family, and his peace. Zion Earth Zen Sky is not a passive read; on every page, the reader is engaged and challenged to examine the parallels of these parables to their own lives. There are tears, and there is joy; there are crises, and there is hope. Zion Earth Zen Sky is transformative and enlightening – it is an absolute must-read!

Charles Shirō Inouye joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a child with his siblings. A child of Buddhist parents, he takes us through his spiritual doubts and awakenings as he sought unity and deeper revelation in these two ideologies. As a third-generation Japanese-American, Shiro’s story gives readers insight into the struggles and challenges his family faced, beginning with his childhood in the 1950s in rural Utah. The stories are vulnerable and real – readers will find themselves pulled into them, sharing their own joys and griefs with the author’s.

The writing style creates a tone and feel which transports the reader into the author’s world, and into the frame of mind necessary for deep contemplation on the topics and insights he shares. Tackling deep topics like self-worth, loss, the nature of God, the Doctrines of Salvation, self-discovery, and inner peace; the author invites the reader to recognize and appreciate how through consistent effort chaos can be transformed into order. This book is not about debating or clarifying doctrine; it is one man’s journey to make sense of the universe. In the end, what we have are the results of our consistent efforts and the relationships we have made along the way.

The foreword provided by J. Scott Miller is also an essential and insightful work that helps the reader understand the style and sets the tone of the book. It perfectly brings the reader into the story and helps them prepare for what lies ahead. Another treasure in this book is the glossary. The author uses some Japanese terms and references in his writing. In his concise style, he presents in the glossary summaries of legends, contextual and cultural explanations, and conveys to the reader the definition and nature of terms foreign to Western culture.

This book is powerful and transformative. It is medicine for the soul and demands to be shared, discussed, and enjoyed again and again. A perfect gift and written in such short stories, this book is a great gift for those short on time who love to read and for those who are on their own mission of self-discovery. Zion Earth Zen Sky is a journey worth taking.