John Okada's novel "No-No Boy," which sharply questions issues of identity, was published in 1957 and was largely forgotten without attracting public attention. It was rediscovered in the 1970s.
Before explaining this background, I would like to briefly touch on the significance of examining "No-No Boy" in light of the recent friction and problems that have arisen between immigrants, ethnic groups, and nations and cultures in the United States and around the world.
Why "No-No Boy" now?
In the US, where the presidential election has begun, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and others have made statements that could incite prejudice and discrimination against Muslims. In relation to this, he made statements approving of the wartime segregation policy of Japanese Americans, which drew criticism from various quarters, including the Japanese American community.
Similarly, in Europe, prejudice against Muslims is on the rise, and there are movements to incite hostility towards immigrants from the Middle East and elsewhere. In Japan, too, there is a movement towards using ethnicity and nationality as a standard for criticism, as exemplified by hate speech.
Globalization has been talked about for a long time, and even today, when ethnicities and cultures are intermingled all over the world, minorities and immigrants can become targets of attack when conflicts or social problems arise. Looking back, this was the case with Japanese Americans during the Pacific War. Ichiro, the protagonist of "No-No Boy," emerged from this historical background, and his suffering has resonated with many people today as a universal theme, in a time when many may be forced to find themselves in the midst of ethnic, national and cultural friction.
In that sense, there are countless "Ichiros" all over the world who are suffering in the same way. For example, if relations between Japan and China or South Korea were to deteriorate in Japan, it goes without saying that people living in these hostile countries would be confused. In particular, people who have formed special relationships with people from the other country, or who have married and started families with them, could feel as if they are being torn apart.
From this perspective, it is of great significance to now consider the world of No No Boy.
American literature is not just white literature
Let's go back to the story of how it was republished. This book, which almost disappeared after a first printing of only 1,500 copies, was "discovered" in 1970 by Jeffery Paul Chan, a Chinese-American writer, in a bookstore in San Francisco's Japantown. At the time, young people were rebelling against existing social values and authority, with anti-Vietnam War protests and other movements, and awareness of minorities was growing, leading to a movement among young Asian Americans to question their identity.
When American literature was thought of as limited to the literature of white people such as Faulkner and Hemingway, there were young people who explored the possibility of other types of American literature.
One of these young people, Chan and his friends, read the forgotten "No-No Boy" and were surprised and moved to discover that such American literature existed. Chan, Frank Chin, Lawson Fusao Inada, and Shawn Wong formed the Combined Asian American Resources Project (CARP) in Seattle to promote the book.
I collected as many copies as I could get my hands on, distributed them around campus and in the community to promote the book, and then edited a collection of Asian American writings called "Aiieeeee," which includes the first chapter of this book.
Six years after the "discovery," they raised funds to republish "No-No Boy." Although none of them were wealthy at the time, they each chipped in $600, which shows how much they were willing to work. The first printing was 3,000 copies, most of which were sold out by mail order, and another 3,000 copies were printed and sold out.
In 1979, the University of Washington Press in Seattle took over the publishing business, and the series continues to sell well today. Shawn Wong, a member of the group at the time and a professor at the University of Washington, once said:
"No, No Boy is a great piece of American literature. I was 19 when I first decided to become a writer, and I didn't know any Asian American writers at the time. So when I discovered John Okada, I knew I had to republish it."
(Titles omitted)
© 2016 Ryusuke Kawai
