Art, Literature, and the Japanese American Internment ― On John Okada's No-no Boy

This study reveals the variety of artistic expression among Japanese-American civilians held in US internment camps during WWII and discusses the themes and critical reception of the 1957 novel No-No Boy, written by John Okada, a former internee at Minidoka camp. The first chapter of the book offers an overview of prose, poetry, painting, and photography by Japanese-Americans in the camps, with special attention to the work of Isamu Noguchi and Min<’e> Okubo. The second chapter gives background on “no-no boys” (draft resisters) and the origins of Asian American studies. The third chapter gives biographical details on Okada, based on interviews with his relatives and friends, and the fourth chapter offers a reading No-No Boy as world literature, comparing Okada’s novel to Italo Calvino’s Six Memos for the Next Millennium. The final chapter on the publication history, reception, and teaching of No-No Boy argues that contrary to the opinions of previous scholars, the novel received enthusiastic reviews at its original publication in 1957. The book includes a wealth of black and white historical photos, political cartoons, comic book panels, posters, book covers and illustrations, watercolors, and photos of primary source internment camp newsletters. Annotation c2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)

Thomas Girst studied Humanities at Hamburg and New York University. He was founding editor of Die Aussenseite des Elementes (1991–2003), the NY-based cultural correspondent for the German daily Die Tageszeitung as well as research manager of the Art Science Research Laboratory. Since 2003, Girst has been Head of Cultural Engagement at the BMW Group. He lectures at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. His most recent publications include The Duchamp Dictionary (2014) and BMW Art Cars (2014).