No-No Boy
By: John Okada / Preface By: Ruth Ozeki / Narrated By: David Shih
Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
How can you like a book but dislike the main character?!?
I’m torn, I tell you! Torn!!!
Let me just say that I’m NOT panning this audiobook. Sure, I sometimes wondered about David Shih’s narration—He does fine on the main narrative but turns some of the best rapid-fire dialogue out there into choppy, staccato shotgun blasts that hurt your ears. And some of his voices for certain characters were questionable, if not humorous at times (Read: Freddy!).
But still and all, this, especially considering the time it was written in (Twelve years after the end of WWII), is angry and in-your-face storytelling. Ichiro is one angry, angry, ANGRY 25-year old dude. But see, here’s the thing. Angry tho’ he is, and believe me, he’s chewing people up and spitting them out most of the time, he’s soooooo PASSIIIIIIIIVE! I went into the story thinking he was a No-No Boy because his life and dignity had been stolen from him, and he refused to serve a country that stripped him of all his rights as a citizen.
Uhm, noooo.
Turns out, his mother is bonkers, is Japanese to the core, and he couldn’t find it within himself to say NO to her, making a truly life-altering decision based on his passivity. Which is how he makes all his decisions. Because somebody suggested something to him, he does it. Bed a girl? Don’t wanna, but DONE! Take a job? Don’t wanna, but SURE—I’ll go there! Stay in a car with someone driving like a madman? Don’t wanna, but hey! Why walk home when you can hunker down? And be around somebody violent? Don’t wanna, but Jeepers! I’m sure it’s aaaaaall a-okay!
Plus, while this is an angry listen, it’s not raw considering how little he does in the way of making choices for himself.
Wait, wait, wait! I do believe this is me panning it when I said I wasn't going to… My apologies, especially to John Okada, the first known Japanese-American author.
Here’s what’s good: Like I said, the dialogue is really stellar. These are stunningly moving characters (except for Ichiro). Kenji is an utter standout and heartbreaker of a character. He made different choices but still refuses to judge.
Then there are some really great and memorable scenes. How about when Ichiro goes to see an old family friend only to discover that their son was killed by a sniper in the war? What makes it creepy is that Ichiro’s mother sits there, all puffed-up, like she’s telling the bereaved mother: See? MY son is alive because he chose Japan. YOUR son was a traitor, chose the Americans, and now he’s DEAD…
I s’pose this is a totally worthwhile listen, but it is rather dated. The opening homage to it from Ruth Ozeki had me chomping at the bit, though, with how gritty and raw it was supposed to be, with how tormented Ichiro was, how he couldn’t get away from his thoughts when actually he wallowed in them and blamed everybody else for his predicament. And he never chooses to change his situation, even when he comes upon people who are very much open to him. He even berates Kenji, saying he’d rather be him (rather be losing his leg to infection and rot inches at a time, because really: Ichiro has it sooooo much worse).
So hold Ichiro with loose hands but grasp the rest of the story, the other characters, the situations, the really great writing. It gives the timeframe of just after the war, it gives the take on internment, a whole ‘nother twist that just might be unforgettable.
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