No-No Boy by John Okada

NO-NO BOY
By John Okada, Charles E. Tuttle, 1957, 260 pp.
Reviewed by Aviva
Marshall Alternative Program
Spring 2008
Ichiro lives a life of shame. Shame, anguish and depression. It is the life of one Japanese-American who said “no” to his country during WWII. He said it for his family, but not for himself.
It is a story of a lost man. Ichiro is lost from himself, his family and his people. After four years of jail time, Ichiro returns to his family’s home in Seattle, Washington. With anger and resentment pulsing in his veins, Ichiro attempts to start again with his life. He reacquaints himself with lost friends, and tries to find a job. But in his world of disgusting racism, Ichiro finds friends and family slowly slipping away. But what can he do?
This historical fiction novel is full of meaning and hidden themes. It is incredibly thoughtful in some parts, but in others it seems that the characters have no thought. It gives a detailed view into the life of a character that seems to have thrown away his life, and is now wallowing in self pity. It not a story to be read lightly. I found it disgusting to read, but oddly intriguing. With an odd writing style, this book is not forceful but has a way of making the reader exceedingly angry. No-No Boy is most definitely a book for an older and more mature age group.