About the Book: Set in a period of post-World War II Japan marked by social upheaval and the influx of Western ideas, Osamu Dazai’s semi-autobiographical novel, No Longer Human, tells the story of Oba Yozo. Yozo feels profoundly alienated from the world and those around him. He struggles to understand basic human interactions and their inherent cruelties, even as he navigates relationships and what appears to be a normal life. The book is a dark, moving account of one man’s intense and continuous battle to find a sense of safety and belonging in a society he feels utterly disconnected from. It remains one of Japan’s all-time bestselling books.