Mr Mascellani's Musings

I found Wild Meat And The Bully Burgers,during a lunch break, in a second-hand book shops in Sydney (city) where the books are crammed and piled three or four books deep, some on their sides, others lying flat and stacked one on top of the other- into the bookshelves. There are also books on top of the shelves and in stacks on the floor. There is no alphabetical order and signs that say simply “Fiction” “Crime” “Romance”
“Children”, “Biography” etc.

I found it in the Fiction section,and I bought it mainly on the strength
of the E. Annie Proulx quote that was on the cover:

“Fortunate reader,
Here is a rare book…
Yamanaka is brilliant.”

If E. Annie says that Yamanaka is brilliant, I thought, then that’s a good
enough for me.

So, it came as a bit of surprise to me when I began reading the book
and foud that it was a book written for adolescents. A surprise
because it had been surrounded by books written for adults.

But Proulx is right. Yamanka is brilliant. And though Wild Meat And
The Bully Burgers is targeted for the adolescent reader there is much
for the adult reader to enjoy.


It deals with the issues of identity and acceptance and does so with
humour that is both delightful and poignant.

It is set the in the slow-paced town of Hilo, Hawaii and tells the story,
via a string of vignettes, of Lovey Nariyoshi , a quirky Japanese-American
girl who deals with the pains and tensions of growing up, as an outsider,
in a foreign place.

I enjoyed reading it.


Next: Book Review 2: The Porno girl and Other Stories by Merin Wexler.


Writing Prompt 20: What Is The Best Advice You Ever Received?