This charming and humorous little book relates the adventures of Marshall Trieber, a young scholar from Arkansas, as a misfit in the US Army of post-World War II occupied Japan. After a spectacularly non-standard performance as a clerk in a repair unit, Marshall was reassigned to Military Intelligence. There, at the age of 19, he became the co-founder and assistant principal of a new school for American dependents. Marshall's new role saw him dealing with unexpected translations, semi-reformed swindlers, teachers juggling multiple wives, and the acquisition of unauthorized supplies, all set against the backdrop of an Eastern society struggling to adopt Western ways. It is a fascinating tale of a forgotten era that still resonates today.