Ichiro was just a kid when he and his family were confined in one of the relocation centers for the Japanese in America during World War II. When he turned eighteen, he was told to enlist in the military. He refused and as a result he spent several years in prison.
Released at twenty-five and back home, Ichiro is finding it very difficult to reintegrate into society. The fact that he refused to serve in the military is an albatross around his neck. Those Japanese men who had served looked down on those who refused, the No-No Boys. But his mother is very proud that her son did not fight in a war against the homeland. Those who did are traitors, she believes. Ichiro soon finds out that his mother and some other Japanese families in the area believe that Japan actually won the war and that those saying otherwise are merely spouting Western propaganda. Ichiro also discovers that his father knows the truth and deals with the strain it has put on the marriage by staying drunk all the time.
Ichiro wants to find a job but when possible employers find out he was in prison for refusing to fight for America, they won't give him work. Ichiro encounters an old friend from school, Kenji. Kenji fought in the war and lost his leg in it. But Kenji doesn't judge Ichiro for being a no-no boy. He gives him his friendship and accepts him without judgment. Kenji's friendship and Kenji's health struggle helps Ichiro put his own problems in perspective.
This was quite an interesting story, about the effects of the war and of the relocation on the Japanese population of America. It's not a subject that I have ever paid much attention too, beyond acknowledging that it was unjust and cruel and stupid.
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