Suteindo Garasu: Stained Glass the third of Kenneth Fenter's books about Japan, continues the stories begun In the first two, (Gaijn! Gaijin! and Mo Ichido: Once More) but adds a new dimension. The Fenter family re-enters life in the United States, but life has changed. Although their readjustment seems smooth, Fenter himself has some unfinished business in Japan, both practical and emotional. During the next three years he attempts to set up a business, making stained glass windows and lamps, which would allow him to move back and forth between two cultures. The book is an examination of the differences in those cultures, particularly in their business dealings, an insight into the working of an artistic mind, and a frank, personal view of a man in transition. Fenter's returning to Japan as a businessman instead of a teacher is a bit like Dorothy returning to Oz as an entrepreneur. Some of the magic and wonder is gone: reality is more apparent, but there is the possibility for really understanding the culture in more of its subtleties as he works his way through the system. Stained Glass adds a new dimension to the other books in its emphasis on the actual process of producing fine works of art. Beginning with the interviews with the customers to discover what they have in mind, mulling over design possibilities, settling on a final plan, making drawing, presenting them for approval, putting together glass and lead, and finally installing windows or lamps in less than ideal circumstances, Fenter lets us see the complexity of each step. It is a rare analysis of the creative mind at work presented humbly and introspectively. His book is worth reading for that alone. We learn more about Japan and Japanese customs in this book, but we also learn more about our own culture. For awhile Fenter is "gaijin" foreigner in both cultures and he applies his observation skills to both cultures, trying to find his place in one or both of them. The search is often frustrating and leads the reader to think how each of us receives value in our culture and what we might be willing to risk in another. Like the other two books, this is an adventure, a search, an initiation. It moves from the light-hearted to the poignant, from elation to frustration, to despondency and back with a sure voice. Wide-eyed absorption is gone; realistic evaluation takes its place. Any reader's understanding will be broadened as Fenter takes us through the maze of culture, artistic endeavor, and personal growth. Ronalee Ramsay Kincaid
About the Author: Kenneth Fenter took his family to the small town of Isahaya Japan in 1977 where they lived and taught for two years. He continued the relationship with the area three additional years with a stained glass business. Out of that experience he authored three non-fiction books: Gaijin! Gaijin!, the first year; MoIchido: Once More the second year; and Suteindo Gurasu: Stained Glass about the three years of going back and forth with stained glass. In 2010 he produced The Ruin his first novel. That was followed in 2011 by The Bee Tree, 2012 by Pivotal Times, 2013 by Gifted Hands: Saino no Aru te, and Coronado's Gold. In 2014 he released Incessant Expectations. The the cross cultural experience is a major theme of all six novels. Gifted Hands takes place in Nagasaki in 1977. Fenter retired from teaching secondary language arts in the Springfield, Oregon public schools in 1998. He now lives in Bend, Oregon with Lora, his wife of 53 plus years.