Although there are already quite a few positive reviews of this book, I thought I'd add my own.
First off, I bought this book about five years ago, at which time I'd already been studying Japanese for about 15 years. I own at least 25 Japanese language books. I'm at a solid intermediate level, approaching advanced, but there still seemed to be some grammatical concepts that gave me some trouble.
And guess what, a handful of those troublesome concepts are discussed in this book. At the very top of the list, the nuances of "wa" and "ga." These two particles are invariably difficult to all beginning, and often intermediate, students. Most intermediate students can use these particles competently, but there will still be many instances where you aren't sure which to use. This book gives a fairly exhaustive explanation on this subject, and honestly, it is worth the price of the book alone.
Some of the subjects in this book can be found in other books, but some I had never seen before. I particularly enjoyed the info on the exact differences between "Shiru" and "Wakaru" and how to use each correctly. If you're like me, you've used these words many times, probably correctly (but sometimes incorrectly) and you don't know why you used one or the other. You just did it because you'd heard it used that way and knew it was correct. But sometimes you have the inclination to use the other one, but are told it is incorrect. Japanese people understand the nuances, of course, but most of them can't explain it in English (understandably so. It's complicated).
The other great section of this book is the "Explainers" section. This is something that isn't explained in many grammar books, and if it is, it is sometimes partially incorrect or simply incomplete.
It's not a perfect book, of course. The author sometimes gets a little too technical and overly detailed in some of his explanations, and I found myself at times thinking "Ok ok, cut to the chase" or "Just give me an example of what you're trying to explain." Also, some of the stories he tells seem a little unnecessary at times. And there are other things that could've been added to the book, but for the size and price of the book, it's perfect. If you want a good follow-up to this book, which covers a lot of the same detailed, often misunderstood grammatical concepts, I highly recommend "Using Japanese." Great book.
In closing I'd like to say this is very likely one of those books you may not realize you need until you buy and read it. You'll think you've been doing something correctly or that you understand something, only to discover that you really don't understand it. I say give it a try. It's cheap and I guarantee you'll learn something from it, unless you've been studying Japanese for many years and/or have lived in Japan.
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Reviews with images
I wouldn't buy it again
I didn't enjoy this book. I am halfway through and the romanji is killing me. I am a beginner in Japanese and even I would rather read kana! The explanations are lengthly but not very clear.. I find myself thinking "what is he getting at?" I got this book for the good reviews but am pretty disappointed. Below I included one of the many sections that pissed me off. 2 whole pages on Kanji.. only to say it is not Japanese. No, romanji is not Japanese. When you go to Japan or read Japanese books or watch their shows it is in hiragana, katakana and kanji.. not romanji. I'm not even reselling this book. It is going in the recycling bin.
Top reviews from other countries
Butler
Clear, interesting, and funny.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 27, 2021
Valentina
Really useful, but NOT for beginners
Reviewed in Italy on October 30, 2018