The style (at least the opening paragraphs http://www.goldsea.com/Bookview/Fiction/Banana/banana.html) looks like it's lifted from David Foster Wallace, unfortunately. See "Getting Away from Already Being Pretty Much Away from It All" from "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" Pg. 83. Here is a quote from the DFW piece: "I'm on I-55 going S/SW. The sun's a blotch in a sky that isn't so much cloudy as opaque. The corn starts just past the breakdown lanes and goes right to the sky's hem...Locusts chirr in every field, a brassy electric sound that Dopplers oddly in the speeding car..." etc.

I think that this book defines CBC culture quite well. It answers the question, "Who exactly are the Canadian Born Chinese." CBC culture is something that definitely exists but is vague and ambiguous, without clear boundaries and thus is very difficult to define. CBC's lie in the crack between two cultures and are always trying to find their place in society.

I find that characters in other ABC/CBC books are ashamed of their ethnicity and defy their Chinese background. This book, however, illustrates quite well the confusion and hardships endured growing up as a CBC, without the characters resenting their culture.

Setting aside the inaccurate generalization and perception (and slight resentment and bitterness) of CBC women and digression on the author's favourite music through Luke's character, it was an excellent read. I already read it twice in two months. Definitely the best CBC/ABC read so far. Well done.

It's about time somebody presents the Asian Canadian demographic correctly. All major characters are normal CBCs you'd meet in real life; no kung fu masters, no gangsters, and certainly no William Hung! However, this novel also has a lot to say about friendship, and the importance of it.
Read it... you might learn something.

I've read a lot of books in my day, but nothing has captured me quite like this. Being a student in Waterloo, I recommend this book to anyone who went or is currently attending Wilfrid Laurier University or Waterloo University. Mentioning common bars such as Bomber, it creates a window as well as a mirror to student life there. The characters are absolutely hilarious and easy to relate to, especially if you're CBC. All CBCs MUST read this book, it is absolutely terrific!!! Couldn't put it down for days.

This is absolutely a FANTASTIC book! I couldn't put it down. After being sickened by other books about 'three generations of Chinese women escaping the shackles of bond slavery,' it is so refreshing to finally read this book about the Chinese Canadians/Americans in THE REAL WORLD TODAY. Thanks, Terry Woo!

I must disagree with J. Fitzpatrick [previous reviewer].

The only similarity Banana Boys had to The Joy Luck club was the fact that it happened to be about North American [in this case, Canadian] born Chinese characters.

Well what is so wrong with that? We... the Canadian born Chinese Culture... happen to exist here on this earth. And we... the Canadian born Chinese Culture... just so happen to have many similarities with the way we grew up, were raised, and the way we have cultivated some of our values, attitudes and even to some extent, behaviours. The only thing that stuck out as similar at all between Banana Boys and The Joy Luck club was that they exposed these similarities as well as how they exposed the characters as having their own individualistic traits.

Banana Boys, however, was more down to earth, less fluff, and more… real.

Terry Woo demonstrated a truer portrait of this interesting and colourful subculture. Sure I admit that I enjoyed the entertaining value o

I didn't get right into this book when I started reading it, but after about 40 pages, I thought ah well may as well finish it. I thought the book dragged on in parts, and it was just taking me forever to read. I finished it yesterday, and I must say - finishing this book is an important part to enjoying it. It was such a different book, not necessarily capturing all of the excitements that life brings, good and bad, but the mundane. Take the time to really get into this book, don't try to rush through it. This book made me think about some of my beliefs, and just really affected me. It's a book that I'll read again. A couple flaws were that unless you read it quickly, you might get confused as to what's going on in whose life, and I also found the editing was poorly lacking. 'aprched' instead of 'parched, forgetting to put 'the' 'that' or putting a word twice.

Highly recommend this book. =) If you know anything about or are from an asian culture, I think you'd enjoy it more!

I just felt like responding to the previous review by stating my own opinion about the Book. Being a Waterloo student myself, and a Banana Boy, I think that Terry Woo has hit the nail on the head with what it's like for us. Perhaps it does not resonate as well with those on the outside but I suspect it was not the author's intention to cater to an audience in an effort to make money. I think it was just his way of expressing Himself, as that's what Art is really about: telling it like it is. While there is a possibility that this book may simply become a 'cult classic' and not end up on the Bestseller's list in the short run, I hope it is a sign to come that there will be many more books coming from this demographic. Banana Boys like me really are in a way missing on part of their culture . There are not that many works that tell stories from our perspective. Terry Woo is a pioneer and a leader and I hope to see more from him and others.

Fabulous! Banana Boys sparked some great conversations among my group of friends about our relationships and about the experience of being half in one world and half in another. The characters in the story felt very real and imperfect...it was easy to identify with their flaws and frustrations. The author should be commended on his accessible style and insight. Banana Boys was a quick read because it was hard to put down. What's next, Mr. Woo?

I would agree with the first reader who Reviewed this book - the title is a nice try and one wonders if there was new cloth to be cut here, why the author would present a poor man's mimic of Joy Luck format?
(Shouldn't it be just the opposite? Where's the difference?)
Mind you, Joy Luck, good or bad, went on to be a literary and financial success. This will probably make its way to the paperback bargain bin as so many other titles, but it is a quick (lightweight) read with some funny parts. Go to the library and get it.

While I admire the effort in taking on unchartered territory (bonus points here), the book has some flaws. The narrow demographic focus is evident pretty early on. Apart from Dave and Sheldon, I didn’t feel a real bond between the rest of the guys. I do like how the book goes into the realistic idiosyncrasies of the Chinese-Canadian household (I hate being asked to eat oranges), and the challenges that we have to face growing up in two cultures. A good first book – hope there’s more to come.

Being a Waterloo computer science grad I met (and became friends with) alot of CBCs and this book really showed me what my friends' experiences would have been like. Although I am sure that not all CBCs would have had such extreme experiences, the stories that the characters tell brings to light what growing up in Canada would be like for a non-white person. It has definitely openned my eyes and made me think. Beyond that, the book is very entertaining and I have received many strange looks on the subway because of laughing while reading. Having each chapter being from one of the character's perspectives made the book enjoyable since you would see each character not only from themselves but from their friends perspectives.
For storylines, once I got a couple chapters in I found that it was not strong, but I did not expect it to be strong. This book is not what I would consider a novel (read the Hobbit if you need a strong storyline). This book is about their experiences and about the experiences that real CBCs would have, and this book did a great job of that.

I'm so glad that someone has written a book about CBCs! Woo has definitely filled a niche that has been left wanting for too long! There are endless anecdotes that had me nodding my head in agreement: parental expectations, my 4 yrs at Waterloo, the mating habits of HK fobs, the curious feeling of being stuck in cultural limbo...I even laughed out loud!
A caveat: While the banana boys inhabit their individual cultural neuroses and hang-ups to great effect, I hope that non-CBC readers do not assume that all CBC's are as seemingly messed-up as these guys are. I know many a banana boy and girl who've got it "together" like Rick in appearance but also, more importantly, in reality.

This book is AMAZING! As far as I know, there's never been a book written about Asian-Canadians like us. All the others are semi-fictional epics of the Railroad workers or war refugees. This is much much different. It's the story about five guys, Luke, Dave, Sheldon, Rick and Mike, self-described to be "Banana Boys: yellow on the outside and white on the inside - caugh in cultural and social limbo. Not really Chinese and not quite Canadian." In some ways, it's like Seinfeld, a book about nothing. In many other ways, it's like Catcher in the Rye, just a bunch of guys telling it like it is. If you've ever read Catcher in the Rye, you'll know that Holden Caulfield is a guy you can really identify with. Well, in this book, take that identification factor and multiply it 500 times. Not only are these guys Asian, they're also University age, they live in Toronto, middle-class, and they've all pretty much faced the same racism, pressures, awkwardness, frustrations that we've all went through.

When i first read the book i was floored...it was that close to my own reality. Like Terry Woo, I grew up in small town Kitchener with few Asian peers. What i previously thought were personal experiences were shockingly penned out in the novel almost as a guidebook to growing up Asian-Canadian. To a non-banana, the novel is a meandering slice of alcohol induced fiction, but for the banana...well...it's a wake-up-call, a surprisingly true to life account of the mundane but craftily weaved story of 5 twinkie (yellow on the outside...) dudes who have their own different and sometimes hilarious way of seeing the world through their yellow tinged eyes and yellow tinged beers. The characters range from the ultra-cynical Dave to the uber-obsessive Rick who each have their own unique way of coping with banana culture. They deal with their insecurities and fears through wicked group banter over beer and by living at the extremes. For the twentysomething banana, its an invigorating and exceptional read.

i actually know one of the guys this book was partially based on and got it from him for a Christmas present. It's a great look at growing up in Canada, super fun to read. The best part about it is it's a real book, and anyone who wants a glimpse into what it's like to be a banana boy should read it. So in contrast to the other reviewer, I would definately recommend it for every Canadian ...

Funny, insightful, honest and refreshing look into the lives of minority Canadians during / after the university experience; and, the roads they took to get themselves there. You could insert another Canadian born visible minority and come up with a similar story. The parallels are astonishing. The book also provides insight to the social / love life or lack thereof for many engineering students. Our mothers never told us about days like this.

I picked up this book while visiting Canada to try and gain some understanding of what it was like to be twenty-something, male and Asian-Canadian (of which I'm 2.5 out of 3) and the book delivered on that and more. I enjoyed the insight into Asian-Canadians and the predictable parallels to being Asian-American. The book had a few surprisingly touching parts which may require you to be Asian to thoroughly comprehend. I may not recommend this book to non-Asian people (i.e., the earlier poster who felt uneasy about references to dorky white guys dating Asian women) and even to Asian women, but for younger, "hip" Asian males, this is a great book and we need more authors like him. While this book may not necessarily have a great plot, it reads like a collection of short stories (each chapter is about one of the five banana boys) tied together to a poignant lesson by the end.

This story of five twentysomething Chinese-Canadians is a window into the psyche of all Chinese-Canadian men and the families that they grew up with. A fast paced plot with gratuitous amounts of genuine dialogue, this book is required reading for all those who obsess about their role in today's society but are too afraid to formulate their ideas into words for fear of being considered angst-ridden and depressed.

I suppose people will label this as the Geek Male's Joy Luck Club. Which may pain the author to some extent. It's a book about the pain, loneliness, and frustrations growing up Canadian Born Chinese (aka CBC aka a "banana"... yellow on the outside, white on the inside). It's really a series of the author's many observations and pet theories strung together with a fairly thin storyline. And there are far too many obvious references to the author's own tastes in beverages and music. There are definitely many laugh out loud bits. He possibly dwells a bit too much on the Dorky White Guys Dating Asian Women thing. The book sure left me feeling guilty I ever looked at a physically attractive Asian woman...