Saturday Night at the Pahala Theatre

by Lois-Ann Yamanaka

Poetry. Fiction. Asian American Studies. This is a work of fiction during which the characters interact in the form of poetic novellas. Born on the island of Molokai and presently living in Kahalu'u, Yamanaka's poems have appeared in such journals as BAMBOO THE HAWAII WRITER'S QUARTERLY, Michigan Quarterly Review, PARNASSUS, Puerto del Sol and Zyzzyva. "Lois-Ann Yamanaka is a fresh new voice in poetry and irreverent, sensual, street-smart, and passionate. She refuels the English language with her own brand of island music--rich in distinctive rhythms and magical insights"--Jessica Hagedorn.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Short Stories, Asian American

143 pages, Paperback

First published June 8, 1993

About the author

Lois-Ann Yamanaka is the author of Saturday Night at the Pahala Theatre, Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers, Blu's Hanging, Heads by Harry, Name Me Nobody, Father of the Four Passages, The Heart's Language, and Behold the Many. Her work has received numerous awards including the Hawai'i Award for Literature, the American Book Award, the Children's Choice for Literature, the Pushcart Prize for poetry, and Yamanaka was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.

Reviews

[Wendie Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my life. Finally a book (written all in poetry) with characters who looked and spoke like ME! Read it, even if you do not speak pidgin (Hawaiian Creole-English, so the experts call it) you will GET IT.

[Simón · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devastating, character-based collection, tightly woven, vernacular, colloquial. Perfectly capture's a resilient child's perspective on poverty, racism, classism, and misogyny. A few poems made me sob so hard, I had to put the book down, like the one about the pet goat and the one about being boss of the food. My only ideological quibble is the person who offers a way out of the lonely, shameful childhood is a straight man significantly older than the main character. I'd like to think that community and artistry are more powerful than being sexually desirable to a man.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I don’t know that I enjoyed this, so much as I appreciated the raw emotions and experiences in this book, which takes the form of poetic novellas set in Hawaii. There are a lot of difficult issues that come up, including rape/sexual assult, violence, and racism, among other things, so this is definitely not a feel good poetry book. Part 3 has a bit of a respite with the introduction of Bernie, who is just the kindest person. For someone unfamiliar with local culture and especially pidgin (Hawaiian Creole English), this might be difficult to understand, but I’d still recommend it.

[Jennifer Canaveral · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. The poetry is in Hawaiian Pidgin and all the stories feel so authentic. The scenery, the food, the beaches. Yamanaka describes them beautifully and the wit of her characters is so sharp. A nostalgic read for anyone who has been lucky enough to live on any of the Hawaiian Islands. It will leave you wanting more of this author's wonderful prose. Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers is a great novel of hers, done in a similar style, if you crave another serving :)

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique voice; powerful writing; reading it I felt sad

[Krystle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yep, I decided to do something really different here. I hope the sound and video quality is okay. Sorry if I don’t sound very cohesive or organized. I tried my best. Haha. Meh.

Hope you like this!

Link to my vlog: http://youtu.be/tTYYaI2E4Xc

THE NOSTRIL

What I told you
about digging your nose?
Who taught you that?
You going get
two slaps
I ever see you
doing that
in public again.
Good for you
your nose bleed
and I hope you get
so-wa stomach too
for eating that shit.
And your uncle,
next time I see him,
he going get
two slaps too
for teaching
you damn kids
to eat your hanabata.
Gunfunnit.

CHICKEN POX

My sista, she the best.
She wen’ catch chicken pox las’ week.
First, she had um only on her underarm.
Everytime I went in the living room,
she stay suffering on the vinyl couch
with her hands behind her head
and her chicken pox underarms all showing.
My madda tell her she no can scratch
otherwise going get scar.

Itchy? I tell her,
then I scratch my underarm for real kine
‘cause I know make um mo itchy
when somebody scratch themselves, eh?
Then, the underarm chicken pox went away
but guess what? She wen’ catch chicken pox
on the rest of her body.
I bust laugh everytime I go in the living room
‘cause stay all over her body,
even on her scalp.
Itchy?? I tell her.

Then, my other sista wen’ catch chicken pox.
First, was only in her mouth.
She no could talk and she no could eat.
So I make one big bowl
of her favorite ice cream, mint chocolate chip,
and eat um right in front her face
even if that’s my worse ice cream.
Her, she only cry ‘cause itchy
and she no could scratch inside her mouth.

Then when the mouth chicken pox
went away, she got um on the rest of body.
She stay lying on the same vinyl cough
the other sista was on, all itchy and hot.
I walk pass her and scratch my ass
by her face, all out kine.
Go ‘way, you fucka, she tell me.
I’ng tell mommy.
Go. Go tell mommy, I tell her.
I scratch mommy’s ass, too.
She cry ‘cause she hot and itchy
and she going get lickens if she scratch.

But guess what?
Yeah, I wen’ catch chicken pox, too.
But guess where I got um
I had um only in my cho-cho.
I not lying. For real.
Shit, I was lying on the vinyl couch
for one week with my legs spread
so the thing heal more fast.
My sistas come in the living room
and scratch their cho-cho
full on, nuts out kine and laugh.
Itchy? they tell me.
Then scratch.

Funny, no? Haha. I hope you all read it!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What to say except that I think Yamanaka's poetry is powerful, moving, and often gut-wrenching? I want to read everything she has written. The sound of the poetry alone makes this volume worth it; the fact that Yamanaka tackles difficult subjects that need to be talked about makes it that much better. In this volume, her voices alternate as different personalities of young girls that are subject to sexism, violence, racism, and the pain of being forced to grow up too fast.

My favorite poem from here is "Kid."

[Brittany Laccetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Yamanaka's first published book. I probably should have read this first because all of her other books have some elements from this book, which made me feel so bored.
I just had that, "I-have-read-this-before" feeling the entire time reading this, the taxidermy shop, the language, the sex...bored, bored, bored.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the few volumes of poetry which I have read straight through, the use of pidgin English does make some things a little unclear. But then, poetry has always been that way to me anyway. Yamanaka has a wicked sense of humor, which makes these poems especially palatable.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the language/style of this collection of stories. All in all, the stories are mostly about young women/teenagers in Hawaii but I like how the author draws from the different perspectives of these characters.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yamanaka's dialect works as marvelously in poetry as it does in her prose. She writes wonderfully narrative poems that really convey a sense of the world of her characters. The voices of her different characters are marvelously distinct as well. Great poems.

[Vernyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

folk who dream of taking to paradise might do well to read Lois-Ann. she captures the voice and spirit of much that is Hawai'i.

[Shawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book of poetry that deals mainly with growing up in Hawaii around ethnic stereotypes, abuse, and sex. It is written mostly in Hawaiian pidgin and is very raw and in your face.

[CC · Rating 4 out of 5]

In your face, not holding back, fucking punch in the gut poetry.