Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - No-No Boy

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

No-No Boy by John Okada

8 reviews

coconut14's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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ambercchen's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-paced

4.75

i wish more asian american diaspora writing was like this novel bc this is what it’s all about!!! the nothingness, the immigrant parent/american child dynamic, the double consciousness!!!!!! okada’s descriptions get lost in itself and emi’s characterization isn’t the best but by god this novel is good

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shoob3's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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misosoupcup's review

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

originally had this at 4.5, but i just kept on thinking about this book weeks after reading it. beautiful prose. anger, disappointment, are pretty much always present in this book quietly sparkling and crackling in the background until ichiro stumbles upon some revelation or blows up on another character. the moments of contemplation and sadness are underlined by this numb feeling afterwards. very flawed book but the moments that shine really stand for themselves.

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mollymfay's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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scripturizzy's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I had to read this book for my Asian American fiction class and it's been one of the few times in recent memory where I read slowly because the material was just so emotionally laborious to read. The raw and unflinching grief that is central to this book is made even more effective by the outside knowledge that its author never got to see the recognition it got and to have that wide affirmation of the experiences penned. No-No Boy is a post-world war two novel that takes place over a short amount of time, perhaps a few weeks at most, centered on the protagonist Ichiro's return to American society after being in prison for refusing the draft. However, in this short span of time and in the people he reconnects with or meets, Ichiro discovers and re-discovers that there is no American society for him, perhaps there never was, perhaps there never can be. I think one of the standout quotes that encapsulates the overall feeling of the book is when Ichiro thinks: "But it is not enough to be American only in the eyes of the law and it is not enough to be only half American and know that it is an empty half. I am not your son and I am not Japanese and I am not American." There is no name, no place, no way Ichiro can ever find peace with every part of himself together. This book takes a tragic look at the alienation of post-war Japanese-Americans, coupled with a fixation on American masculinity, motherhood, and madness. There's a reason this is the first full novel we read for class, and I'd totally mark it as one of my essential reads. It is raw and difficult and shattering in the complete brokenness and despair it highlights in Ichiro's thoughts and the characters around him, and it's done beautifully.

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gncgenz's review against another edition

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2.0

A look at the beginnings of what it means to be Asian-American. The duality and the conflict coming from that alone is amazing. However, at times the speaker was unclear and perspectives shifted unexpectedly.

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thesaltiestlibrarian's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

HEY! You feel like bein' sad? I feel like bein' sad, so let's be SAD.

What shit can happen after Japanese citizens of America are separated by all the ideology bullshit and being forced to choose by the American government: AM I AMERICAN OR JAPANESE OR LOYAL OR WHAT?

What kind of sadness can we deal with in one little book????? Let's check!

Suicide?! Check!
Racism?! Check!
Forced incarceration?! Check!
PTSD?!
Cancer?!
Infidelity?!
Broken homes?!!
BIG FAT CHECKMARKS ALL AROUND!

Okay, but seriously. This is a heavy book, and I wouldn't recommend reading it if you're having an issue with sadness/depressive dips. Wait until you're steady enough to handle a stream of sadness.

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