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Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers
Her name is Lovey Nariyoshi, and her Hawai'i is not the one of leis, pineapple, and Magnum 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 of haole happiness and a moving meditation on what is real, if ugly at times, but true, Wild Meat and the B ully B urgers crackles 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 film Fishbowl, by groundbreaking director Kayo Hatta.
Stories from this enduring novel have been adapted into the film Fishbowl, by groundbreaking director Kayo Hatta.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
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817 people want to read
About the author
Lois-Ann Yamanaka
15 books88 followersLois-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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
November 22, 2009
Anyone who knows me knows that I have a strong connection to the Hawaiian Islands and a strong curiosity to read the stories by Hawaiian authors. I'm not so much interested in the exoticism of the islands as I am the real, true life stories. So when author Lavina Ludlow (novel forthcoming from Casperian Books) suggested the work of Lois-Ann Yamanaka, I was more than willing to dive in.
Now, when authors are new to me, I do not search out any reviews or biographical information before hand as I don't want to color my perception of their work, positively or negatively. So when I looked at the list of Yamanaka's work, this novel was the first listed and so I went with it. And am I glad I did.
Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers is set in and about Hilo, Hawai'i (the big Island) in the 1970s. Our lead is the appealing Lovey (interestingly, one letter shy of Lovely), a relatively plain girl from a working class Hawai'i. As the blurb says, her Hawai'i is not the Hawai'i of picture post cards. Her family are barely surviving financially, unable to afford the comforts that the haole (white) islanders and many of those with whom Lovey goes to school have. This instills in Lovey a somewhat covetous personality. Like all children, she wants to fit in, be smart and popular and have the coolest things. And her attempts to fit in always seem to backfire, reminding her of her "place" in life.
While Lovey is our main character, most all of her interactions within the novel take place with her friend Jerry, a young man with a seemingly unending positive outlook and as much of an outcast as Lovey. Likewise, her father, a nisei (second generation Japanese American), is an important part of their life, their relationship at times wonderfully close and at other times strained by Lovey's desire to be more than who she is.
At its heart, this novel is a coming-of-age book, the journey of a young girl who is just beginning to grow up and realize what really is important in life. But what this story also is is the story of a young woman and the men in her life...Jerry and her father. While her mother, grandmother, aunty and sister are indeed in her life, the focus always returns to Jerry or her father. While I would have enjoyed seeing more of Lovey's relationship with the women in her life, the richness of her interactions with the men in her life is outstanding and full. One (especially one of the male gender) comes away with a strong understanding of the bond between father and daughter. And blessedly, Yamanaka makes that relationship utterly realistic.
Lovey's relationship with Jerry is wonderfully imbued with a strong sense of what friendship is. As in reality, sometimes the two can't stand one another. They fight and get jealous of one another, but in the end, they always end up together. Truly wonderful.
One of the things about Jerry that was missing for me is the implication that Jerry was gay. The blurb indicates that Jerry is effeminate, implying homosexuality. I didn't particularly see this to be true. Yes, he does play Barbies with Lovey, his interest are a bit off the beaten path compared to other boys, and both he and Lovey are constantly call derogatory names for gays by the "cool kids," but he never read as particularly effeminate or gay to me. In some respects, I would have like to have seen that dealt with more, but when I came away from the novel I realized that whether Jerry was or wasn't gay didn't matter. Because it didn't matter to Lovey. The only thing that mattered was their friendship. I walked away finding that refreshing.
In this novel, Yamanaka touches on a lot of issues. Classism. Racism. The loss of cultural heritage and homeland. But she deals with hem subtly and always in context of the story. We absolutely feel for Lovey when she is made fun of. We get angry at her when she picks on others from a different cultural background. Our heart aches when her father tells how his own father never saw Japan again before he died. It is all beautifully done.
Yamanaka also captures the spirit of the island. She doesn't do this by describing details of the locales, but rather by the use of Hawaiian Creole (pidgin) in the dialog and the prose. The result is a vivid portrayal of time and place that feels like home for us non-Hawaiian readers, yet is different enough so that we know we aren't in our own home. Likewise, Yamanaka brings emotional truth to the story, a universality that draws us to each of the characters. In the end, while we know we aren't a teen Japanese American girl, we understand and can empathize with all she is going through.
For those readers who grew up in the 70s, there is a lot here that will let you take a stroll down memory lane and which helps to provide the emotional connection to the characters. Yamanaka gets all the details right, from Bobby Sherman to wax coke bottle candies.
Perhaps the best thing about this novel is that while Lovey is covetous of those around her, her life is allowing her to build something more precious than the right clothes or the right tape recorder...she's building memories that will last forever.
I can not imaging coming-of-age novels getting any better than this and I can not recommend this book more strongly.
Now, when authors are new to me, I do not search out any reviews or biographical information before hand as I don't want to color my perception of their work, positively or negatively. So when I looked at the list of Yamanaka's work, this novel was the first listed and so I went with it. And am I glad I did.
Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers is set in and about Hilo, Hawai'i (the big Island) in the 1970s. Our lead is the appealing Lovey (interestingly, one letter shy of Lovely), a relatively plain girl from a working class Hawai'i. As the blurb says, her Hawai'i is not the Hawai'i of picture post cards. Her family are barely surviving financially, unable to afford the comforts that the haole (white) islanders and many of those with whom Lovey goes to school have. This instills in Lovey a somewhat covetous personality. Like all children, she wants to fit in, be smart and popular and have the coolest things. And her attempts to fit in always seem to backfire, reminding her of her "place" in life.
While Lovey is our main character, most all of her interactions within the novel take place with her friend Jerry, a young man with a seemingly unending positive outlook and as much of an outcast as Lovey. Likewise, her father, a nisei (second generation Japanese American), is an important part of their life, their relationship at times wonderfully close and at other times strained by Lovey's desire to be more than who she is.
At its heart, this novel is a coming-of-age book, the journey of a young girl who is just beginning to grow up and realize what really is important in life. But what this story also is is the story of a young woman and the men in her life...Jerry and her father. While her mother, grandmother, aunty and sister are indeed in her life, the focus always returns to Jerry or her father. While I would have enjoyed seeing more of Lovey's relationship with the women in her life, the richness of her interactions with the men in her life is outstanding and full. One (especially one of the male gender) comes away with a strong understanding of the bond between father and daughter. And blessedly, Yamanaka makes that relationship utterly realistic.
Lovey's relationship with Jerry is wonderfully imbued with a strong sense of what friendship is. As in reality, sometimes the two can't stand one another. They fight and get jealous of one another, but in the end, they always end up together. Truly wonderful.
One of the things about Jerry that was missing for me is the implication that Jerry was gay. The blurb indicates that Jerry is effeminate, implying homosexuality. I didn't particularly see this to be true. Yes, he does play Barbies with Lovey, his interest are a bit off the beaten path compared to other boys, and both he and Lovey are constantly call derogatory names for gays by the "cool kids," but he never read as particularly effeminate or gay to me. In some respects, I would have like to have seen that dealt with more, but when I came away from the novel I realized that whether Jerry was or wasn't gay didn't matter. Because it didn't matter to Lovey. The only thing that mattered was their friendship. I walked away finding that refreshing.
In this novel, Yamanaka touches on a lot of issues. Classism. Racism. The loss of cultural heritage and homeland. But she deals with hem subtly and always in context of the story. We absolutely feel for Lovey when she is made fun of. We get angry at her when she picks on others from a different cultural background. Our heart aches when her father tells how his own father never saw Japan again before he died. It is all beautifully done.
Yamanaka also captures the spirit of the island. She doesn't do this by describing details of the locales, but rather by the use of Hawaiian Creole (pidgin) in the dialog and the prose. The result is a vivid portrayal of time and place that feels like home for us non-Hawaiian readers, yet is different enough so that we know we aren't in our own home. Likewise, Yamanaka brings emotional truth to the story, a universality that draws us to each of the characters. In the end, while we know we aren't a teen Japanese American girl, we understand and can empathize with all she is going through.
For those readers who grew up in the 70s, there is a lot here that will let you take a stroll down memory lane and which helps to provide the emotional connection to the characters. Yamanaka gets all the details right, from Bobby Sherman to wax coke bottle candies.
Perhaps the best thing about this novel is that while Lovey is covetous of those around her, her life is allowing her to build something more precious than the right clothes or the right tape recorder...she's building memories that will last forever.
I can not imaging coming-of-age novels getting any better than this and I can not recommend this book more strongly.
May 21, 2010
A solid coming of age story set in Hawaii in the 1960's. I liked it because it gave a sense of what Hawaii is really like to live there, beyond the mass media. And what it is like to be a Hawaiian.
January 15, 2009
Poetic use of Pidgin and very nostalgic for me. It tasted like home.
September 2, 2022
Narrated by the unforgettable Lovey Nariyoshi, this poignant and laugh out loud funny novel reminded me, in the best way possible, of Lynda Barry’s Marlys comics.
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March 1, 2008Oh this book was so creative!! It is just vast in its immensity and scope! I put it on the bookshelf right between Herman Melville and Vladamir Nabokov even though thats not alphabetical order. I Don't care! It deserves its place amongst the great ones!! Maybe "Moby Dick", "A Tale of Two Cities"...and "Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers"!! Hmmmmmm. I love reading books written in Pidgen English about bratty young children going through adolescence. I also particularly love it when there is an older grandparent figure that seems to be the only one the adolescent can relate to. How creative!! I like the wonderful arguments the protagonist gets into with her teacher when she is asked to speak English properly in order to communicate effectively.
Wow that teacher sure was culturally insensitive. Who does she think she is....I mean Really.....a teacher?? Whats SHE ever done with HER life?
I also like how college professors can assign this book in order to meet the new multi-cultural requirements of our public education system, thereby presenting the appearance that they are culturally aware institutions.
This book helped me to finally realize that The Northern European Culture is evil and that I should kill myself (Being a white male) to rid the world of my presence. I'm going to jump off a cliff......but not without my copy of Bully Burgers!!
Wow that teacher sure was culturally insensitive. Who does she think she is....I mean Really.....a teacher?? Whats SHE ever done with HER life?
I also like how college professors can assign this book in order to meet the new multi-cultural requirements of our public education system, thereby presenting the appearance that they are culturally aware institutions.
This book helped me to finally realize that The Northern European Culture is evil and that I should kill myself (Being a white male) to rid the world of my presence. I'm going to jump off a cliff......but not without my copy of Bully Burgers!!
October 26, 2008
I started reading this book shortly before visiting the Big Island of Hawaii for the first time. It really captures the wildness of the island--the junior-high protagonist is always scooping fish from a pond or raising rabbits or hunting for birds. It can be brutal--like when her dad describes a herd of goats trapped in a lava flow--and life isn't much kinder to the humans in the story. The writing is beautiful in a visceral way (like Cynthia Kadohata's and Lynda Barry's), even if the book could have benefited from more of a plot.
February 17, 2016
I first read this book my senior year of high school. I chose it off my teacher's book shelf to read as an independent book study. I know I liked it, because when I saw it for sale at a book sale a few years ago I snatched it up. Re-reading this as an adult was a different experience though. The story of Lovey, and her constant desire to be something she isn't, is truly moving and heartbreaking.
#popsugar 2016, A book you haven't read since high school
#popsugar 2016, A book you haven't read since high school
July 24, 2022
"Vicky takes the butter dish and slaps a huge wad all over her hot Minute Rice that falls like bullets off of her fork, not like the rice we eat at home... And when the butter comes to me, I want to be a Beckenhauser so bad, I rub butter all over my rice and swallow each bite like a mouthful of Crisco."
This was such a raw read. Uncensored, and ironic in it writing. There are short stories that will make you laugh, make you angry, and even cry.
This book reads similarly to the The Joy Luck Club . Except we follow a young Japanese girl who lives within the poverty neighborhoods of Hawaii. Our MC Lovey is neither native Hawaiian nor White, and her (and her family and friends) are looked down for it. She believes her life would be better if she could just act and speak "haole" (she wants to be white passing). But as you can see from the quote, there is an irony to the high class glamour.
While Lovey navigates a world dominated via classist/racist standards, Lovey is also coming to age as a woman. There's specific stories describing menstruation, motherhood, and Lovey's fear and disgust with being "dominated".
Can I also just say something about the side character Crystal? That was so upsetting, to be so lovely and caring and taking the whole blame for her situation. Like it didn't matter if she tutored kids, or was giving, or was active in the community, in the end they blamed her and not Larry. And Larry was the devil incarnate, honestly not worth the a dime of her time. Yet, you see those situations all the time? Men being held above women, and therefore young girls are more forgiving of heinous men? ugh...that hurt. That really hurt. Reminded me of too many people.
I would say to be wary of some topics in the book. Being from poverty and farmland raised can lead to a more hands on approach to food and animals. I grew around that and hated it, but I'm not unfamiliar to it. Y'know. Like, if you ever had a pet cooked for dinner situation. If you love animals maybe skip on this one.
Still, very surprised, and it will be the first little library find to stay on my bookshelf.
This was such a raw read. Uncensored, and ironic in it writing. There are short stories that will make you laugh, make you angry, and even cry.
This book reads similarly to the The Joy Luck Club . Except we follow a young Japanese girl who lives within the poverty neighborhoods of Hawaii. Our MC Lovey is neither native Hawaiian nor White, and her (and her family and friends) are looked down for it. She believes her life would be better if she could just act and speak "haole" (she wants to be white passing). But as you can see from the quote, there is an irony to the high class glamour.
While Lovey navigates a world dominated via classist/racist standards, Lovey is also coming to age as a woman. There's specific stories describing menstruation, motherhood, and Lovey's fear and disgust with being "dominated".
Can I also just say something about the side character Crystal? That was so upsetting, to be so lovely and caring and taking the whole blame for her situation. Like it didn't matter if she tutored kids, or was giving, or was active in the community, in the end they blamed her and not Larry. And Larry was the devil incarnate, honestly not worth the a dime of her time. Yet, you see those situations all the time? Men being held above women, and therefore young girls are more forgiving of heinous men? ugh...that hurt. That really hurt. Reminded me of too many people.
I would say to be wary of some topics in the book. Being from poverty and farmland raised can lead to a more hands on approach to food and animals. I grew around that and hated it, but I'm not unfamiliar to it. Y'know. Like, if you ever had a pet cooked for dinner situation. If you love animals maybe skip on this one.
Still, very surprised, and it will be the first little library find to stay on my bookshelf.
October 10, 2024
(Caveat that this was assigned reading, read one part at a time)
This book was pretty good! Starting with the pros, its imagery is phenomenal- every environment Lovey encounters is beautifully described, even if the environment itself isn't beautiful, you really do feel like you're there. Another pro, the symbolism is rich and easy to sink into- anything mentioned more than once can be woven into a beautiful analysis of the characters and their relation to each other and the environment, the interactions between which really drive this narrative. Finally, the characters themselves are so rich, from those you deeply resent to those you love, everyone is written with this lovely nuance and personality, they really seem like people you could know in real life.
Going onto the cons, the animal violence is rough. I'm not squeamish about subsistence farming or hunting, but there's quite a bit more than that, and I get its narrative function in the story, but I just wanted to give a heads up about it. Secondly, this is personal preference, but the ending of the book did come out of left field for me a little- I felt like I was following what the book was trying to say up until the very last chapter, and I may have to reread it with that in mind to more fully understand what's going on.
Other than that, though, a really good book, and one I would love to read again!
This book was pretty good! Starting with the pros, its imagery is phenomenal- every environment Lovey encounters is beautifully described, even if the environment itself isn't beautiful, you really do feel like you're there. Another pro, the symbolism is rich and easy to sink into- anything mentioned more than once can be woven into a beautiful analysis of the characters and their relation to each other and the environment, the interactions between which really drive this narrative. Finally, the characters themselves are so rich, from those you deeply resent to those you love, everyone is written with this lovely nuance and personality, they really seem like people you could know in real life.
Going onto the cons, the animal violence is rough. I'm not squeamish about subsistence farming or hunting, but there's quite a bit more than that, and I get its narrative function in the story, but I just wanted to give a heads up about it. Secondly, this is personal preference, but the ending of the book did come out of left field for me a little- I felt like I was following what the book was trying to say up until the very last chapter, and I may have to reread it with that in mind to more fully understand what's going on.
Other than that, though, a really good book, and one I would love to read again!
April 11, 2019
Honestly, I was a little taken back by how much profanity is laced through this book *just a warning before recommending it to any younger adolescence*
Though at first it was a little bit difficult to follow Lovey's pidgin, the longer I read it, the easier it flowed to me. I loved this book. I think Lovey is a little bit sassy, but really sweet, character who wants to be accepted and loved (and haole). I think Yamanaka writes her story beautifully and though she covers many issues of growing up - especially as a culture minority who is judged for wanting to fit it - I loved most the relationship (and the development of it) between Lovey and her father. I think that though his abuse is inexcusable, as she learns from him throughout the novel and then respects and honors him in the end, she realizes the importance of her heritage and of family ties.
Though at first it was a little bit difficult to follow Lovey's pidgin, the longer I read it, the easier it flowed to me. I loved this book. I think Lovey is a little bit sassy, but really sweet, character who wants to be accepted and loved (and haole). I think Yamanaka writes her story beautifully and though she covers many issues of growing up - especially as a culture minority who is judged for wanting to fit it - I loved most the relationship (and the development of it) between Lovey and her father. I think that though his abuse is inexcusable, as she learns from him throughout the novel and then respects and honors him in the end, she realizes the importance of her heritage and of family ties.
December 18, 2022
This is a great book to read if you're headed to the Big Island, like I was, and spending any time outside of the resorts, especially in Hilo. In general, I don't love coming of age books because they feel a bit the same after a while, but that was largely the beginning of the book laying a foundation for the second half, which is where I think it started to really get good. As Lovey herself gets older and more aware of herself and her family circumstances, you really start to get a feel for a slice of life the underlies the tourist paradise. It explains some of what I saw as tension between the non-haole population and the tourism that is so important to the place.
May 22, 2022
I loved seeing the pidgin English my family and relatives used immortalized on pages of a book. However, I almost didn't finish this book (and I hardly ever NOT finish a book) because there was so much animal cruelty I almost couldn't handle it. I get that this is supposed to be real life, rough, raw, unfiltered, and REAL Hawaii, not the romanticized touristy whitewashed version (which I appreciate), but damn. For a coming-of-age story it was pretty bleak.
February 20, 2021
Yamanaka captures in her prose something so honestly awkward and repulsively beautiful about girls perched at that edge of thirteen. How she hates, how she loves, how she dreams, how she wants. Her first encounters with birth, death, meat, loss, class difference. Lovey's voice is lively yet fumbling as she tries to find her place in Hawai'i and in her Japanese-American family.
April 4, 2019
Such a beautiful story with the sounds, smells, and tastes of the islands. The intensity, shame, embarrassment, confusion of youth. The tension and love of family, blood and and chosen. I loved this story and could read it a hundred times.
July 15, 2019
This book is comprised of interrelated vignettes about the coming of age of Lovey, a young Japanese American girl living in Hilo, Hawaii in the 1970s. Her desire for assimilation with her mostly Haole classmates is both heartbreaking and hilarious, as are relationships with her parents, her younger sister Calhoon, and her best friend, the effeminate Jerry. I really enjoyed the messages of the importance of family, and the role of tradition, through Lovey's journey towards self-discovery. There are some scenes of violence towards animals that were difficult to read.
November 14, 2022
I was very interested in this book at the beginning as it's a perspective and setting is unknown to me. But, it became very uncomfortable reading due to the many stories related to treatment of animals and I had to put it down.
April 3, 2018
The dialect made this a little hard to read. Very poetic. I thought it was sad but it does have some funny stories mixed in.
November 9, 2018
Engaging novel, brought me back to my days in Hilotown!
February 20, 2020
I basically hated this book but mostly because of the format. I don’t like short stories and I don’t like books that are comprised of vignettes instead of a narrative thread. Hence the 3 stars...
July 2, 2021
This book is so much more than it seems at first. Nostalgic, self-effacing, hilarious, but also heart-wrenching, lyrically written & so much bigger than a book about a couple kids in Hawaii.
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August 11, 2021read for my MLISc YA lit class
July 2, 2022
Violent
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2023
Loved this book from a child's perspective and de-mystifying the reality of growing up in Hawaii. Hawaii is more than postcards and this book captures such unique and intimate interactions.
March 24, 2024
A book I read for one of my classes but I really enjoyed. I rarely read books with a younger narrator so that was interesting. Sad but funny and interesting.
April 14, 2024
moving and very very descriptive, but heart-breaking as well. We should try to be better people
May 5, 2024
Enjoyed, despite its brutality (or because of??) Feels honest.
October 2, 2024
literally so good, idk ughhh i need my project back from ms jordan so i can write this review
October 9, 2024
such a good fucking book!! lovey made me feel so seen as a woman through her little fuck ups ugh god less lovey nariyoshi!
October 31, 2024
Really powerful coming of age story that doesnt conform to the typical western plots and tropes. The first person pov made the narration really entertaining.
December 9, 2024
GUNFUNNIT
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews