Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers A Novel [Paperback]

Her name is Lovey Nariyoshi, and her Hawai'i is not the one of leis, pineapple, andMagnum P.I. In the blue collar town of Hilo, on the Big Island, Lovey and her eccentric Japanese-American family are at the margins of poverty, in the midst of a tropical paradise. With her endearing, effeminate best friend Jerry, Lovey suffers schoolyard bullies, class warfare, Singer sewing classes, and the surprisingly painful work of picking on a macadamia nut plantation, all while trying to find an identity of her own. At once a bitingly funny satire ofhaolehappiness and a moving meditation on what is real, if ugly at times, but true,Wild Meat and theBullyBurgerscrackles with the language of pidgin--Hawai'i Creole English--distinguishing one of the most vibrant voices in contemporary culture.

Stories from this enduring novel have been adapted into the filmFishbowl,by groundbreaking director Kayo Hatta.

A rare book--Exuberant, fresh-voiced, rich, crazy and stabbing, comic and as true-toned as a crystal glass taped with a knife. E. Annie Proulx

Wild Meat and the Bully Burgershas power and charm. A bold and skillful combination of languages . . . [it] belongs on the shelf near Maya Angelou'sI Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and Toni Morrison'sThe Bluest Eye. Literary Supplement Quarterly

Yamanaka's voice is clear and distinct, capturing the people and events in sensitive and exciting language. . . . An important and memorable debut. San Francisco Sunday Examiner & Chronicle

Yamanaka, true to her poet's ear, communicates the luminous dignity of the language [pidgin]. . . . Because of Yamanaka's uncompromising skill at evoking the special flavor of Hawaiian life, Lovey, Jerry, Hubert--even no-good Larry--are some of the most vivid characters to spring off a page in recent memory. Time Out New York

Funky and vibrant . . . A coming-olc"