Blu's Hanging [Paperback]

Lois-ann Yamanaka (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0380731398 | ISBN-13: 978-0380731398 | Publication Date: July 1, 1998

On the Hawaiian island of Molokai, life goes on for the three young Ogata children after the death of their mother and subsequent emotional withdrawal of their grief and guilt-stricken "Poppy." The eldest at 13, Ivah is now responsible for the safety and well-being of tiny Maisie, vulnerable and mute since their mother's passing; and for Blu, her uncontainable brother whose desperate need for love has made him vulnerable to the most insidious of relationships.

On the Hawaiian island of Molokai, life goes on for the three young Ogata children after the death of their mother and subsequent emotional withdrawal of their grief and guilt-stricken "Poppy." The eldest at 13, Ivah is now responsible for the safety and well-being of tiny Maisie, vulnerable and mute since their mother's passing; and for Blu, her uncontainable brother whose desperate need for love has made him vulnerable to the most insidious of relationships.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The second novel from Yamanaka, who is also an award-winning poet, is about three kids trying to hold themselves and their family together after the death of their mother. The story is set in the cultural crossroads of Hawaii, where the Ogata kids--Masie, Ivah, and Blu--are forced to find their way through the poverty, violence, and racism of their harsh environment. Displaying her ear for the poetry of real-life language, Yamanaka writes in the direct voice of the children; their visceral experience of home, school, and the personal mythology in their family come through powerfully. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Set in the working-class Hawaii of Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers (LJ 11/15/95), Yamanaka's second novel finds the Ogata children surrounded by depravity and lacking all but a small, inner spark of moral character. Their mother is dead, and 13-year-old Eva is trying to give her two younger siblings some semblance of guidance. Eva feels both remorse and shame for her pathetic father, "Poppy," whose constant berating of brother Blu grates on Eva until she can't stand it any more: "Why you gotta make things so hard, Poppy?...You neva use to make so mean to us." When Eva makes the agonizing decision to attend college against her father's wishes, she leaves her siblings without a real role model. From there the story descends deeper into a cycle of despair from which there is no escape. A well-wrought but painful work; recommended for larger collections.?Anna Quan Leon, Scottsdale P.L., Ariz.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380731398
• ISBN-13: 978-0380731398
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #132,632 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "I know who the dreammaker is....", September 18, 2003

By 

Ratmammy "The Ratmammy" (Ratmammy's Town, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Blu's Hanging (Paperback)

BLU'S HANGING by Lois-Ann Yamanaka

BLU'S HANGING by Lois-Ann Yamanaka is my introduction to the books by this Hawaiian native of Japanese descent. In this novel, Yamanaka takes us into the world of Ivah Ogata, the oldest child of a family that has just lost their mother, and a father who can barely feed and clothe them, let alone give them the love and attention that was given to them by their mother.

Ivah is the narrator of this heartwarming story. She looks after her brother Blu, a lost soul who is at a turning point in his life. He could go down the wrong path, or find the right one, and is getting involved with the wrong crowd. Maisie is the baby and for some reason has lost the ability to speak. Because of this, there are many misunderstandings about her at school, including by teachers that punish her for wetting her pants. She's scared, and trusts only her brother and older sister. On the peripheral of all this is their father, a custodian that lives in a fog since his wife passed away, and as he ages, Ivah worries about him, knowing that Poppy yearns to be with his beloved Eleanor.

The reader is given a glimpse of life on the islands, in particular the working class locals that are barely making ends meet. Life is rough, filled with hunger, pain and violence. A lot of Hawaiian flavor is mixed into the story, as not only are we told the story in the local pidgin, but we can also smell and taste the foods that are part of this unique Hawaiian American society. We also feel the pain that is Ivah, who does not want to be stuck on this island, who wants more to her life than having to raise her brother and sister who need her desperately. It is a sad tale, but told with a voice filled with hope for a promising future. The characters are endearing, and you will want to know more about them and how they fare once you are done with this book. BLU'S HANGING is highly recommended.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At last, an authentic voice from Hawaii as it really is., September 30, 1998

By 

Linda Linguvic (New York City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blu's Hanging (Hardcover)

I read an article recently about this new Hawaiian writer, Lois-Ann Yamanaka in "Poets and Writers Magazine". Blu's Hanging is her third novel and I understand she has two more coming out within the next year. She has a fresh, unique voice -- the voice of Hawaii beyond the tourist hype. All the dialog is in Pidgin, in spite of the fact that this holds much disfavor and is thought of as low-class and crude. But this is about a poor family of Japanese Americans in Molokai, who live at the lowest rung of the society. The language makes the book ring with authenticity and immediately transported me into Yamanaka's world.

The story is about the three Ogata children, reeling from the death of their mother. Their father is a janitor and the family is poor, eating bread with mayonnaise as a staple and being ashamed of the lunches they bring to school. Ivah, the oldest, at 13 years old is the narrator, and tries to keep the family together. There's Blu, her 8-year old brother, who stuffs himself with food and is victimized by perverted relationships. And Maizie, who at 5 years old, has stopped speaking and suffers in school when a cruel teacher ridicules her for wetting her pants.

I feel for these children and their struggles. I admire their courage. And I want to hold them in my arms and embrace them. The world they inhabit is brutal. I feel a wave of nausea as they have to deal to the cruelty to animals around them. They keep going though. And truly love each other. That comes across loud and clear as they deal over and over again with viciousness around them.

The title of the book refers to a time when Blu was so depressed he tries to hang himself, but his weight breaks the rope. In spite of being forced to care for misused and abused animals, his humanity shows through in the kindness he can show them. When his older sister gets her period and is ashamed to buy sanitary napkins, he buys her some as a Christmas present. He writes notes to his silent little sister and does everything he can to maker her world bright.

Family secrets are revealed during the course of the book. And each character is so well drawn that I feel I know that person. The family are Buddhists, a world I am just starting to understand. This makes it logical that they are in contact with their dead mother's spirit. And I understand how upset Blu is when, after singing in a Christian play, he realizes that to become Christian means that he would have to believe that his Buddhist mother is burning in Hell.

It took me just a few hours to read all 261 pages of this book. There was no way I could put it down once I started. It is both sad and inspiring. And many of the scenes are shocking in their brutality. But its true and real and the story needs to be told. Highly recommended.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This Hawaii is not for the faint hearted, September 25, 2004

By 

isala "Isabel and Lars" (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blu's Hanging (Paperback)

This book is about a human tragedy in one of the most beatiful settings of the world. The Ogata is a Japanese American family coming to terms with the death of their mother. Ivah, the oldest daughter, takes on the role of mother and caretaker to her younger siblings, Blu, a fat boy who grieves by eating too much, and Maisie,a sweet little girl who stops talking. Their father, Poppy, is too busy grieving the death of his wife to pay attention to the kids. Alone in the world, they must fend for themselves against the harsh realities of life, from sexual molesters to people who have nothing for them but contempt. The use of Pidging English gives authenticity to the main characters, especially Blu, with all his wordly wisdom. I can almost feel he is sitting next to me, and not Maisie, giving his opinion about many things that happen to him and others. With no adult to guide his life, he makes his own conclusions about everything he sees, from sex to religion. The book is full of bad language and very graphic descriptions of, for instance, sex and animal abuse. I had to stop reading many times because it was too painful to go on, and yes, I cried a lot, Sad to say, the author received a lot of criticism after the publication of this book, especially because of the depiction she does of the Filipino American community as sexual deviants. However, the Japanese and Caucasian characters of her book do not fare very well neither, and rather than criticise the author, one should applaud her courage for bringing up topics that are too convinient to ignore, but difficult to hide, such as the poverty many people still live under, not only in America, but basically everywhere else in the world.
I give Blu's Hanging a four out of five, because sometimes the book has a "soap opera" feeling to it, with cheesy bits here and there. Otherwise, kudos to the author, who dares describe the not very nice side of life in Hawaii.