Taxidermists Books

This is my favorite Lois-Ann Yamanaka story so far - and I love them all! Heads by Harry characters walk right out of the book and into your life. They are real and interesting and sexy and facinating. Lois-Ann is not afraid to deal with characters who have real struggles, real disappointments, real fun and real feelings. If you have visited Hawaii or live in Hawaii you will appreciate "da kine" pidgin phrases and the colorful local dialogue. Hawaii families are special and this book illustrates why. I love this family and the way they deal with the strange circumstances they find themselves facing. Thank you Lois-Ann for this terrific book!

Lois-Ann Yamanaka's ability to capture the true essence of growing up in Hawai'i is amazing. Though hard for me to swallow at times, Yamanaka boldly explores the darker side of our island paradise as well. Yamanaka bravely incorporates the realities of drugs, sex, unplanned pregnancy and failure into "Heads by Harry." At the same time, she is able to weave all of these things into each character in a different way. This is what makes her book an excellent reading; especially for those of us who grew up in Hawai'i during the timeframe focused on in her book (mid 1970's-mid 1980's) all the way up until now.

It is easy to spot reoccuring character personalities in her books(especially in Toni), however, she always manages to add a little twist to each one. The characters in "Heads by Harry" were more likable in contrast to the characters in "Blu's Hanging." Certain aspects in her book might be a little misleading to someone who hasn't grown up in Hawai'i (or lived here a long time). This can create stereotypes about the island culture.

Regardless, "Heads by Harry" is a wonderful book. I absolutely fell in love with the characters, the atmosphere, the plot, the scenary, and the language. I especially loved the friendly neighbor relations between the Yagyuus' and the Santos'. Such a lovely sentiment, only on Mamo street.

Never have I read a book that was capable of making me laugh and cry so much in one sitting as Blu's Hanging. As one who reads much literature voraciously, Blu's Hanging gets my highest marks for accurate portayal of the crisis of being humyn. This book is not all rosy and joy, but instead a realistic journey of growing up poor in Hawai'i and the inherent challenges involved. Not for the weak minded, I recommend this book to everyone who wants to be drawn into a world of Hawai'i the touristry industry would rather not have us know.

Yamanaka's novels have always shocked me, and I love them for it. She depicts the poor, the close-minded, substance abusers and every other type of "unpleasant" character yet makes me feel I understand them, like I can forgive them. This story of Toni's growing up is so multi-layered - there are so many subtleties to pick up on, that I've read it over and over. Also, she describes sex and attraction in a way that is so true and genuine. I can't gush about her enough. Sure I'm just another mainlander, but the Hawaii Yamanaka has shown me makes me feel like I really know the hard life of the working class on the island; she shows the side that tourists don't see, behind the high-rise resorts and pretty beaches.

HEADS BY HARRY by Lois-Ann Yamanaka
March 26, 2005

I read this book last summer while vacationing on Maui, the almost-perfect place to read a book that takes place in Hawaii. In HEADS BY HARRY, main character Toni Yagyuu is telling her story of what her life is like living on the big island of Hawaii.

Toni is the middle child of a lower middle class Japanese American family. Her father, Harry O, is the local taxidermist, and it seems like she's being groomed to take over the family business one of these days. The novel details the dysfunctional life that Toni is growing up in, while at the same time it is shown with a touch of humor. I always find Yamanaka's books very interesting, showing a different side to the Japanese American experience that is so far apart from that of those living on the mainland. While there is a lot of humor in this book, I found it more tragic than funny, and although Toni always finds a way to come up on top, the ending to this story is one that I had hoped could have been avoided. Still, I do commend this book, especially since Yamanaka did not go with a Hollywood ending and gave Toni a more realistic ending for a person such as her.

Besides the interesting story line, the characters of this novel jump out at the reader and make the story that more compelling. I especially liked the character of Sheldon, Toni's gay brother, and his dream of being a hairdresser. I had a hard time liking a lot of the other characters, mainly because they were mean spirited, a product of their environment. The reader will watch Toni grow up and eventually make a go at it in college. It is almost painful to watch her try and fail, her dreams always too far to reach.

HEADS BY HARRY is yet another novel by Yamanaka that takes the reader into the life of the Japanese American living on the Hawaiian Islands. The culture in itself is fascinating to read about, and while this was an interesting read, this reader enjoyed BLU'S HANGING much more. Both books are tragicomedies, a type of book that maybe not all readers will enjoy.

This book takes you on cross-country tour of America, shows you some believable and interesting people, in places on and off the beaten track. The people described are the mainstream america we have been waiting to be shown. Each chapter is a story that can stand on its own, which makes for great summer reading.

This book is magic, its language like incantation--proof of a brilliant mind and hands at work. I have read it a number of times and its organization is uncanny and ingenious, how it can operate like a novel and a short story collection. The chapter entitled Death's Door is one of the most finely crafted stories I've ever read anywhere. Another chapter was lauded by the O. Henry Award folks. Do yourself a favor. Read his book and tell a friend. Mr. Rock is deserving of the recognition.

Carnival Wolves is an average collection of tales that could have been a first-rate novel or selection of short stories. Rock tries to be too artsy for his own good at times. He has a very interesting story to tell and some compelling symbols to convey if he just wouldn't get in his own way! Rock will be a great novelist if he just lets himself...

This book did nothing for me. It almost seems like they wrote the blurb on the back of the book first and then wrote the story. None of the characters in this book are "characters" despite what the book says. The copy I bought had a recommendation from Patrick McManus (whose books I do like) who is either friends of the author or was paid well for the compliment. Overall it was just not a book I would be able to recommend

Stephen Foreman's Toehold takes place on the edges of life, literally, a toehold on a sheer cliff can mean the difference between life and death. Towns like this still exist, where freedom is in overdrive, which usually means over-drinking, drugging or screwing. Foreman's characters are blessed with a certain nonchalance with reality, which suits them, does not lead to their destruction; self-delusion as helpmate. What else explains Mel, the outfitter-heroine, who has willed herself forward, self creating as she goes, in a place where everyone worth talking to has done it the same way. This is a good telling of the tale that asks the question, what is civilized behavior anyway? The machinations of movie producers, or the spun life of townsfolk? Each is feuled by delusion, some productive, some reductive. Toehold presents its version of life on the edge tempered with romanticism, also evident in towns like this. Without it, life seems unlivable. Truly impressive first novel, keep going.

I was anxious to read this book by screen writer Stephen Foreman, and I was not disappointed. The book is very cinematic; scenes and characters are richly drawn; and the fascination of the place and its affect on people is palpable. The characters are in Alaska for a reason, and while their backstories are not detailed, there is a psychological portrait behind everyone. I am hoping for a movie because Mel would be a great role for any actress!

A terrific read! Thoroughly enjoyable! Humor and pathos. The adventurousness of a woman who knows her own mind and gives no ground juxtaposed against the mundane. I loved the dialogue, the tension-filled give-and-take between Mary Ellen Madden, or Mel, as she is known, and Cody, and the no-holds-barred repartee between Mel and Summer Joe, and Buddy, and the jockeying for position among the book's eccentric characters. Great use of similes and metaphors, wonderful use of language, and several entertaining little truisms about life, things we've thought but perhaps have never said out loud or put down on paper. Toehold is highly polished and told in a nonlinear fashion as details of Mel's life are gradually revealed. I see a movie in this. I also loved the scenes of Alaska and descriptions of hunting caribou and bears, and the wild turkey hunt in West Virginia...the detail is fascinating. It all feels very real, especially the tension near the end, where Mel's life seems to hang in the balance. The ending is unexpected and superb, as the need and longing for family come full force.

Living out in the brush of Alaska brings out the strangest quirks in seemingly normal people, and makes for some entertaining reading, too.

The author traces the past of several characters and shows how they arrived in the fictional town of Toehold, Alaska. They are all restless people from the lower forty-eight looking for meaning in life as well as to escape to a new venue. And they didn't choose to live in Fairbanks or Anchorge, they picked one of the most desolate parts of Alaska.

There, you see how the characters survive by hunting, finshing and visiting the only local bar. Each has a story to tell. Mary Ellen is trying to escape a painful past but has big dreams. The taxidermist, Cody, born to a hippie mother and then orphaned at an early age, just wants to live life on his own terms. Big Sue was an Olympic hopeful with a secret personal heart-break.

The Alaskan wilderness jumps out and grabs you. Before you know it, you are caught in the jaws of a grizzly bear. There is a sudden blizzard and you are unequiped.

One of the best parts of the novel is when the author recounts Cody's time in a foster home. He lived with religious fundamentalists who abused him, and the hypocrisy of their beliefs is accurately exposed. Cody has his final say there and you will want to cheer when you read it.

The novel is a little grainy. You keep hoping that the characters will get thier respective acts together. You are left hanging wondering if some of them ever do.

In all a good read.

This book told me a lot about the person who wrote it. It's about some of the people (and their stories) that come into his shop. There's the old lady who recalls her childhood derring-do, a widow with her husband's last bass, several whitetails and caimans, and a girl and her defrocked parakeet...

Hunting and fishing tips sprinkle the stories. If this book sounds up your alley, look past the pedestrian prose and dig in for a good quick read.

I bought this catalog while browsing in a huge new Japanese bookshop here in Sydney. I was actually trying to find something by Jim Woodring [which seems appropriate] and spotted this anthropomorphic cousin of The Frank Book. And I just love it. A touch of Mark Ryden, a little of Stephen Jay Gould in his more whimsical flights of fancy, and the artistic doodlings of a disenchanted student of evolutionary biology. Beautifully drawn and imagined. And clearly reproduced. Five stars for this little gem.