(Note that this is the published edition of NO NO BOY that you must have. If your cover doesn't match, you'll need the correct version.)

No No Boy

In this module, we'll be reading a novel that has become a classic, and not by a predictable route. No No Boy is set in Seattle at the end of World War II. Ichiro, the young narrator, has returned home after a stint in a Japanese internment camp and time spent in prison for refusing to serve in the war. Ichiro's story is a sad one; his parents don't understand what he has been through and he is unmoored in the city he once knew. Even more importantly, Ichiro's story brings the cruel racism against Japanese Americans into view. Read about the internment on the Densho website.

Then, we'll watch an hour-long lecture by Professor Shawn Wong about bringing No No Boy into a larger circulation. It's the story of how one writer brings another into greater visibility.

There is a lot of reading in this module: a novel (though it's quite short) and you will be learning about Japanese American internment here on the West Coast.

You will be making three Reading Maps accompanied by three Reading Journal entries and one set of answers to the Artifact Wheel.

Learning Objectives

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Learn about the historical context of a novel.
Place a novel in historical context.
See how the impact of a work of literature can shift in dialogue with other writers.
Develop close reading skills.

Module 3 Workflow

Read this Overview: Module 3—
Show me the physical texts that you have, in your hands!
Then, follow the instructions on the Artifact page about No No Boy, University of Washington Press, 2014.
Read the first half of the novel, including the Forward and Introduction. Also, read this description of No No Boys.
Watch the Lecture by Shawn Wong.
Take Quiz #4: No No Boy-- First Half .
Make three reading maps of pages you choose from the first half of the novel.
Read the second half of the novel.
Take Quiz #5: No No Boy Final Quiz
Make three reading maps of pages you choose from the second half of the novel.
Create Reading Maps and Journal Entries for No No Boy
Take Quiz #6: No No Boy Final Quiz
Participate in Discussion #3: Cultural Relevance of No No Boy
Complete all follow-up posts for Discussion #3.

Click Next to proceed through these activities.