No-No Boy a story of Ichiro Yamada

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No-no boy
No-No Boy is a story of Ichiro Yamada, a 25-year-old man whose parents migrated to the United States of America from Japan before his birth. Like many Japanese-Americans, Ichiro and his family were relocated to a camp many kilometers away from their home early in World War II. Despite committing no crime, they were mistreated same way as criminals. Two years later, Ichiro was offered the opportunity to serve in the American military. Some young Japanese-American men participated in the war, with the view of justifying that they were real Americans. Ichiro's mother was a culturally conservative lady who always identified herself as a Japanese and tried to raise her sons to have the same feelings. Ichiro turned down the offer of joining the army and got imprisoned for two years. The book begins on the day he arrives home to Seattle as the war comes to an end.
Ichiro is angry at the world. His mother seems cold and stubborn, and she denies to believe Japan lost the war. His father is weak and opts to use alcohol in dealing with his problems. Ichiro's brother considers joining the army to prove he is a real American, unlike his brother. Ichiro experiences threats, hatred, and discrimination from all varieties of people including the whites, blacks and Japanese-Americans who view him as a traitor. He becomes ashamed and confused, feeling he has committed a mistake that will damage his life. He lacks the vision of achieving anything but vows never to go back to his old life, pretending nothing has transpired.
Ichiro's friends act as the different choices young Japanese-American men could have settled for during this time in history. His friend Freddie also lands in prison, and after being released he intends to have fun to avoid any form of stress. Ichiro's friend Kenji, who lost his leg while fighting, tries to offer assistance to Ichiro despite his serious problems. Unfortunately, Kenji succumbs to injury complications. Before his death, Kenji introduces Ichiro to Emi, a beautiful young woman who is married to a soldier who rarely comes home. Ichiro falls in love with her but doesn't think he will have another opportunity of seeing her again after several encounters. However, she contacts him later in the book and informs him she is divorcing her husband.
Many parts of the book dwell on Ichiro’s troubled relationship with his parents. His mother cannot accept reality and makes him feel awkward about his desire of becoming an American. She maintains her stand that one da...