Name Me Nobody

by Lois-Ann Yamanaka

Yamanaka pens powerful novel of friendship, family, sexuality, and identity in which 13-year-old Emi-Lou struggles with coming of age and middle school in Hawaii.

Emi-Lou feels like a nobody -- she's overweight, her mom lives in faraway California and rarely visits or calls, and she doesn't know who her father is. The only people who make her feel like somebody are her brave, blunt grandma, and her best girlfriend, Von. "Where Von go, Louie-Louie go", their families and friends say. But now Emi-Lou fears that Von is going somewhere she can't follow. Yon has feelings for Babes, an older girl on their softball team. Emi-Lou wants desperately for Von to be "normal", for them to be the same best friends they've always been. What will Emi-Lou be without Von? Nobody, she thinks. But her desperate actions to hold on to her best friend just may break them.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, LGBT, Queer, Contemporary, Asian American, Friendship

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Lois-Ann Yamanaka is the author of Saturday Night at the Pahala Theatre, Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers, Blu's Hanging, Heads by Harry, Name Me Nobody, Father of the Four Passages, The Heart's Language, and Behold the Many. Her work has received numerous awards including the Hawai'i Award for Literature, the American Book Award, the Children's Choice for Literature, the Pushcart Prize for poetry, and Yamanaka was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.

Reviews

[Mana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed Yamanaka’s Name Me Nobody from a friend, and my first time trying to read it, I got maybe five or six chapters in, then stopped. This time around, I must have been in the right mind space because I finished it in almost one sitting.

Critics will say something about the grammar, the prose—go ahead and say it, because I’ll say I loved it. (Pidgin english, whatchu expect?) I felt nostalgia for a time and way of life I didn’t live through personally. For me, this book was comfort and belonging. This local Hawaiʻi author told a story of our home, the dynamics of a changing friendship, and the importance of accepting others, but especially yourself, just as you are. “Nobody” or not.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending of the last paragraph of the first chapter of this book says a lot:

"They say that the word bastard doesn't apply to girls It only refers to boys who don't have fathers. But that's what I am. A nobody bastard girl."

Emi-Lou (named after my husband's cousin, Emmylou Harris) lives within the California Japanese community with her grandmother, who loves her unconditionally, never bugging her about her weight problem. Her best friend and protector, Von, is not only beautiful, but invited to join the Japanese women's softball league. Knowing that "When Von goes, Emi-Lou goes", Von's father makes sure that Emi-Lou can join the team as well. Of course, everyone knows about the women in the league, but any reference to their sexual identity is never spoken aloud.

What follows is a story about being on the other side of a lesbian's coming out. Although the story is constantly framed within a Japanese cultural community, the acceptance of homosexuality is almost hard to believe.

The dialect in which the novel is written (e.g., My aunt Priscilla, you know, she one butchie. I use to hang with all her friends, so no bother me, that's their trip.) can become tiresome, as well.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read it for book club. Wouldn't have picked it otherwise, and probably won't read anything else by this author. Definitely would not recommend it.

Having lived in Hawaii for several years, I understood most of the pidgin/Hawaiian terms (like pau, haole, and ohana) and could even relate to places (like Diamond Head and Ala Moana). So, it was a bit of a walk down memory lane, which I enjoyed. However, had I not had that experience - a great deal of this book would have frustrated me - as there was no glossary or reference to what the terms meant.

The biggest issue for me was the language. As an English teacher - I would NEVER choose this book for my students because of the improper grammar throughout. I understand that the author was trying to use the broken pidgin dialect that so many adhere to in Hawaii - but it just reinforces lazy, bad grammar.

[Soraia · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I have mixed feelings about this book. Name Me Nobody tells the story of a 14 years old overweight girl named Emi-Lou and her best friend Von. Now, Von is falling in love with Babes a girl in the softball team and Emi-Lou is afraid she is losing her best friend and desperately tries to make her 'normal'. The things I liked first: the writing was true to a what a 14 years old would sound like. I also liked the dialect in the dialogues that I think meant to represent the Hawaiian dialect. I also liked the message behind the story; sexuality, friendship, bullying and the need to find your place and identity in the world.

Things I didn't like (and there might be some spoilers here): the story is set in Hawaii but I'm not sure in what year the events take place. I first thought they were all making a big deal about Von and Emi-Lou need to make her 'normal'. But the book was published in 1999, so I presume the story is set around that time. Still, I feel the story has too many stereotypes.
Another thing is the amount of things Emi-Lou went through. I mean, Yamanaka seemed to have looked up all the things that could happen to 14 years old girl and let Emi-Lou go through them. Sexual harassment✔️ bullying because overweight✔️ bullying regardless of body shape ✔️love triangle✔️ love triangle and best friend drama ✔️ falling in love with the jerk of the school✔️ being used by the jerk of the school ✔️ being shunned by everyone in school except one ✔️ eating disorder ✔️ Its not that I didn't like it. I did. I really did enjoy reading it, but again I feel Yamanaka was creating more and more problems without properly addressing them.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was published in 1999, and I think some of the attitudes haven't aged well because of that. However, I enjoyed it as a middle-grade/YA tale of a teenager growing up on the Big Island of Hawaii. It treads lightly and matter-of-factly around the area of eating disorders, teenage drinking, smoking, and sex. There is a lot of pigdin, which can make it slower going to read if you're unfamilar.

[Magdalena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here’s the edited version of your review:

I usually love a good local story, but this one kind of dragged on. The dialogue in this book between characters is written entirely in pidgin, so how well you speak or read pidgin can affect your experience with it. However, it wasn’t the pidgin that bothered me—I just didn’t find the storyline very captivating. If you’re looking for a good local story try MaKai.

[Bella · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is written in a very confusing dialect which made it hard to read, almost like how Huckleberry Finn was hard to read. But since I have less exposure to Hawaiian dialect, it was jarring and I never quite got used to it. I thought the moral of the story was really nice, even if it took way too long for the author to get there.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who struggled with being 'fat' and became thinner after a grueling unhealthy dieting, this book can be quite a ride. I read this back in college which was about 8-9 years ago and now I felt as if it's my first time reading this again.

Really wonderful book but the broken English makes it a bit harder for me to read faster.

Would I recommend: Yes.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most readers will not like this book. Most readers will get frustrated by not only the content, but also by the fact that its not written in perfect western grammar.

BUT, the author is a genius. She writes about real experiences that young teenage girls continue to face. If you choose this book, do it with an open mind.

[Jenn]

read for my MLISc YA lit class

[l · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn't perfect but I love finding that books like this do exist.

[Yoonmee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm torn on how I feel about this book. On one hand, I really loved it. I got really into it, empathized with Louie the main character, even teared up at a couple points, but many things also bothered me about the book. I'll start with what I liked.

This is just a great, well-written book about being a teenager and dealing with everything that comes along with being a teenage girl -- those feelings of angst, feeling like you're ugly and/or not being comfortable with your body, feeling like you want to fit in, wondering who you are, wondering where you fit in, dealing with changes in your friends and family, etc. I also loved that the author chose to use pidgin (the local dialect in Hawaii) when writing the dialogue. I thought it was an interesting and good choice not to include a glossary or even a description of what Hawaiian pidgin is; I would have enjoyed reading something like this, but not having forces the reader to almost release control and attempt to learn pidgin just by reading it. Having a few friends from Hawaii, I'm a teensy bit familiar with some of the terms, but I think even someone with no background can understand what's going on nonetheless. As I mentioned before, I got really into the story and could completely relate to Louie feeling threatened by Babes' presence in Von's life, her desire to be accepted by Kyle, etc. I just really enjoyed reading this book. =)

Things I wasn't crazy about: Von plays softballs and is a lesbian. Come on! Can this stereotype be any more overdone? The gay male character (Rudy) is very effeminate -- again, yet another stereotype. There are also several mentions of the butch/femme stereotype, which, of course, pertains to many lesbians but not all.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I would recommend it to teens, book clubs, etc. I think the material can spur some really great discussions, not just about GLBTQ teens but also about just being a teen in general.

EDIT: I originally gave this book 3 stars but am coming back to bump it up to 4 stars.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novel about Emi-lou,a 13-year old Japanese/American girl in Hawaii. Her mother lives in California and she has no idea where her father is. She also has a best friend named Von.

The entire novel revolves around Emi-lou's relationship to Von, and how that relationship is threatened when another girl comes between her and Von.

Emi-lou starts out overweight but she loses that extra weight when she is trained to be on a girl's baseball team. Most of the other girls don't like her, though, and that itself sets up some problems for her.

The book does deal with girls having a physical relationship with other girls and this might put some people off even though it is intregal to the plot of the novel.

As far as the storyline itself goes, I think the novel does a good job. It's an interesting story and shows how relationships can change, sometimes for the worse. One major problem with the book, though, is that it uses a number of terms that are Hawaiian and there is no explanation of what those terms mean.

If it had been only one or two terms then that would not have been so bad, but there are quite a few terms and that makes the book confusing at times. The way the people talk could also put some people off, especially since it can give the impression that these people are not really very smart. The only reason that didn't bother me is that I know someone who is Chinese/Vietnamese/American and she talks in the same manner. So it's a relatistic type of speech but it might bother some people reading that type of talking for the first time.

[Highland Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was refreshingly different. The author used language that sounded just as if main character, 13 year old Emi-Lou, really was the one writing. I love it when an author can depict the dialogue that teens actually use and can easily relate to. We also get immersed in to Hawaiian culture, one of the many things that made this book great to read.

Name Me Nobody takes place in Hawaii, giving us a few glimples at the goursgeous blue water and wihite sandy beaches. Most of this book is set in Emi-Lou's combo middle school high school. Some takes place on the road with her softball team or the boys' volleyball team. We also get to hang out with Emi-Lou at her house and meet her wonderful Grandma and not so great Mother and Auntie.

While the main character is 13 years old, I would suggest a slightly older/more mature audience for this book. Name Me Nobody discusses the sexuality of Emi-Lou's best friend. There is also a scene that includes underage drinking and smoking. I would suggest this for any teen who has ever felt abandoned by a parent, uncomfortable with their weight, alone or frustrated with trying to keep up with all the daunting tasks of being a modern teenager.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't like this as much as Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers. I don't know if two books is enough to say there's a trend, but this is the second book where there are secondary characters who are queer (in the case of Name Me Nobody, quite a few of them), but while the main character gets called lesbian/dyke/etc. it turns out she isn't. And in this book, even though it's all about learning to accept her best friend is a lesbian, overall it kind of comes off as "whew, at least the protagonist isn't gay!" [return][return]I also wasn't thrilled with the weight-loss theme. I liked in Wild Meat that the main character just was fat and it wasn't about her losing weight. The weight issues in this book are all very realistic, but it made me sad that while her grandma said she would love her if she were a lesbian and gave this big speech about how Emi-lou should love Von for who she is, even in the end she was stil harping on Emi-lou's weight (and the fact that Emi-lou had starved herself and used diet pills to get thin was never really resolved).[return][return]Despite that, I did like the book quite a bit.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

What kinds of things do teens face today? All kinds, including discovering who you are. Name Me Nobody by Lois-Ann Yamanaka is a book based on two best friends who are so close that it seems nothing could tear them apart. That is only until Emi-Lou doesn’t know how to deal with Vons new likes and dislikes. On top of everything Emi-Lou is over weight and Vons new friends don’t seem to accept her. What else could go wrong for Emi-Lou if she is loosing control of the person she seems to care about the most? This book is a book any teen can relate too weather It’s about finding yourself or dealing with teenage problems.

[Brandon Abbate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Name me nobody is a story of a 13 year old girl named Emi-Lou, going through life. With all the drama expected, she's overweight and lives with her grandmother. She's incredibly close with her best friend Yvonne but things get shaky as they meet new people

I really liked the book, I felt connected, especially because I knew how being a little chubby felt like in school. The story does pretty good in getting me sucked in. I wanted to see if she was ok or what her next revelation was. The other big plus is the fact the chapters were only a few pages long, that made me very happy. Overall a good read

[Katie M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep coming back to Yamanaka's novels for her ability to transport the reader right smack into the middle of everyday life in Hawaii, a life which I mostly know nothing about. She also doesn't pull any punches or pretty up the hard stuff - which I do like, although it made this book so uncomfortable to read. Because really, on my list of things that I want to do on any given day, vividly reliving the misery of middle school is actually pretty close to the bottom. Basically, I appreciate the existence of this book and I will never, ever be rereading it.

[Lang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read it when I was in 9th grade as a reading assignment.I'm glad that I picked this book. I was like Emi-Lou, who was not breave enough to speak up for ourselves, in the middle of nowhere, does not fit in to any groups, alone, but she is lucky Yvonne got her back, helped her. Which I was jealoused. A friend who got her back all the time. Now I found my best friend and she got my back and I got hers.

[hal · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok. I felt like it was fairly well-written and all, but at some parts it was just so depressing. I also felt like Emi-Lou was way older than thirteen- she should have been fifteen or sixteen. Anyway, this is a young adult novel. I read this in 6th grade and maybe that wasn't the best idea. Some of the material is a little better suited for older readers, so I recommend to grades 7-12.

[Book Bounty · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would not recommend it this book for anyone who has or had an eating disorder. This book does not acknowledge or address that Emi-Lou's best friend forced an eating disorder on her.

It does not handle the would-be sexual assault well.

It does not handle the lesbian characters well.

It's exhausting talking about everything that is wrong with this book.

My full thoughts can be read here. http://bookbounty.wix.com/review#!Rev...

[Lindsay Gassmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book about one girls struggle to fit in, and her struggle with trying to understand why her mother left her. It's also a wonderful book because it deals with things that I'm sure some thirteen year-olds have been through.

[Janie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read halfway through, realizing that nothing about the story hit me or excited me at all. I finished the book out of curiousity of how it would end & I don't like books being read half way (I want to give all books a chance is possible) but this one sort of disappointed.

[Ava · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amount of assholery depicted in this novel is astonishing, and I absolutely loved it. I'm glad I cracked this one open to read about freshmen year fuck-ups, and even gladder that there were no vampires involved. 5 for Emi-lou, a damn good character.

[Shailie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a book I picked up from the library once..It was alright.A one time read maybe..But you wont be missing out on much if you dont read it.

[Scary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book for young teens to read!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

trying to get back into hawaii culture...

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

a young adult book, but excellent for adults as well.

[Tweller83 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't like this book and didn't finish this book. Left off on page 88.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sad story.....makes you wonder how people are treated and how you treat others