Book excerpt: A Comic Japanese Novel “One may be branded foolishly honest if he takes seriously the apologies others might offer. We should regard all apologies a sham and forgiving also as a sham; then everything would be all right. If one wants to make another apologize from his heart, he has to pound him good and strong until he begs for mercy from his heart” ― Natsume Sōseki, Botchan Botchan by Natsume Sōseki is a classic Japanese coming of age novel about a young man who is sent from Tokyo to the countryside to teach mathematics at a middle school. This Xist Classics edition has been professionally formatted for e-readers with a linked table of contents. This eBook also contains a bonus book club leadership guide and discussion questions. We hope you’ll share this book with your friends, neighbors and colleagues and can’t wait to hear what you have to say about it.