Lois-Ann Yamanaka was born on September 7, 1961 in Ho'olehua, HI. She is
a teacher, entrepreneur, poet and writer of both adult and young adult fiction
dealing with the issues of Asian American families in Hawaii. She has written
at least twelve books.
Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers was published in 1996. The book is written in both
English and Hawaiian Pidgin (and English-based creole language spoken in Hawaii).
As described in Wikipedia, the book is ". . . a coming-of-age first-person narrative of
Lovey Nariyoshi, a local Japanese girl growing up in Hilo, Hawaii in the 1970s." The
title comes from an incident near the end of the book. Lovey's father brings home a
black-and-white calf that Lovey's sister names Bully. Then one night, their father
makes hamburgers using Bully's meat. Neither of the girls can eat supper that night.
The book was made into a PBS film entitled Fishbowl in 2005. The San Francisco
Sunday Examiner & Chronicle wrote: "Yamanaka's voice is clear and distinct,
capturing the people and events in sensitive and exciting language . . . . An
important and memorable debut."