(from ebookjapan):
Kinjiro was born to a wealthy farmer in the village of Kayayama in Odawara. His father lent money and rice to the villagers and was called the good man of Kayayama. Then one day, the village is hit by a river flood. Kinjiro's family's fields are washed away and he is suddenly forced to live in poverty.... Carrying firewood on his back, Kinjiro Ninomiya reads as he walks. George Akiyama's powerful work explores the agonizing life of Kinjiro Ninomiya!