Rating: 
Summary: Worth YELL-ing about!
Review: "YELL-Oh Girls!: Emerging Voices Explore Culture, Identity, and Growing Up Asian American," an anthology edited by Vickie Nam, contains more than 80 pieces (both poetry and prose) written by young Asian American women. There are also a few "mentor pieces" by established Asian American women. The book is organized thematically into 5 main sections: "Orientation: Finding the Way Home," in which writers "explore the Asian American landscape"; "Family Ties," which focuses on relationships with family members; "Dolly Rage," which deals with the intersections of physical appearance, difference, and discrimination; "Finding My Voice," about "wrestling with language, trying to somehow find the words to portray ourselves"; and finally "Girlwind: Emerging Voices for Change," which celebrates the activism of "the women warriors of tomorrow."
Each author is identified by her name (except for a small number of anonymous or pseudonymous pieces), age, and town they have lived or currently live in. Cities from many parts of the United States (California, Hawai'i, Illinois, Virginia, Wisconsin, Texas, etc.) are represented, and there is at least one writer from Canada. The young writers, who range in age from 14 to 22, have cultural/ancestral roots in many different nations: Korea, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, India, Laos.
Over 300 pages long, this anthology is full of fascinating selections. Most of them are very short. Some seem like seeds of what could become longer pieces. Some pieces seem to whet the appetite more successfully than satisfy it, but the best pieces are really noteworthy.
Some of the selections I found most impactful are as follows. "Her Three-Inch Feet," by Jenny Yu: a moving portrait of a great-aunt who had evidently undergone footbinding. "The Other Sister," by Kim McKee: about being adopted and having Caucasian family members. "Going Undercover," by Wendy M. Thompson: a reflection on having both Chinese and African American parentage. "Zine Grrrl," by Kristy Chan: a fascinating piece about alternative literary creativity. "Waving Fans," by Mia Chan Mi Park: about being the drummer for an all-Asian American female rock band. This last piece has my favorite line from the whole book: "YES, Asian American women also rock. . . and we rock hard, dammit!"
This book challenges stereotypes and offers bold new images of young Asian American women. And while rooted in the Asian American female experience, the book addresses many themes that are equally relevant to men and to women of other ethnic/cultural groups. Overall, this is a fine anthology, and a fitting companion to such groundbreaking anthologies as "Home Girls" and "This Bridge Called My Back." "YELL-Oh Girls!" is, in my opinion, a good choice for college courses, for reading groups, or for individual reading.
Rating: 
Summary: It's about time!!!!
Review: Although I am not now, nor have I ever been, a teenage girl, reading Yell-OH Girls stirred up many memories of my own childhood. This book struck many chords with me with respect to my self-image and and my feelings toward my family. I am half Korean and half Jewish and have never felt like I "fit in." Yell-OH Girls is an important book which speaks to people that up until now have had no voice. I will pass this book along to all the important women in my life. Great job, Vickie!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Hear Them Wail?
Review: As a young Asian female living in the USA, the stuff those are talking here struck me so close to home. The only regretful thing I found in the work was that wailing tone in most of the writing and the quality of those writings which was not very satisfactory. That might be one of the reasons the book looks somewhat lacklustar. You can never attract audiences unless you achieve to express somewhat universal recognition on human condition even through one's tiny and too personal experience. Otherwise, writing works always end up being in a dead end of complain and negativities. This book seems to have alredy done a marvelous job to give the minorities who needs to let their voice heard the opportunuty to Talk. The next goal is to get broader audiences. The quality of the writing would be the inevitable key to success.
Rating:
Summary: Appeal Transcends Gender and Race
Review: At the surface, Nam's book may seem tethered to the concerns of Asian American women and teens, but that would be giving the book partial credit. The anthology will appeal to readers who are open to fresh voices and dialects (try Hawaiian pidgin for instance). The golden thread in Nam's book speaks to a much greater pursuit than racial/gender awareness/advancement: it's about arriving at one's individuality and feeling comfortable in one's own skin. Last time I checked, men strive for this, too.
Rating:
Summary: Truly Breathtaking, a Magnificient Anthology
Review: by Truc Doan, age 15
Teen Editor
...When I was reading Yell-Oh Girls! many people in my school asked me what it was about and if they could read the back. One boy had picked it up and asked me, "So what is this? A girly book?" Girly book? If by girly he meant that the anthology was written by girls and targeted mainly toward girls, than yes. However, if by girly, he meant that it was somehow refined, glossed over and full of fluff, he was very wrong indeed. Yell-Oh Girls! is an anthology full of passionate writing, the result of true emotion and experience. It is amazing how the young women writers that contributed to this book articulated and defined the situations and issues they wrote about. Every story, every paragraph, every sentence in this book gives the reader a blow straight to the gut and to the mind. These writers do not tiptoe lightly over controversial issues, but instead state them loud and clear. The writing screams out, "this is who I am and this is what I went through and yes, all of it is true." Even the title takes a derogatory, stereotypical phrase and changes it into something more powerful and meaningful. Yell-Oh Girls! takes the all too painful experience of growing up and facing the world and mixes it with a blend of bittersweet sadness and joy. All the stories are about realizing who you are and how the people around you react to that. It is about independence, change, anger, oppression, prejudice, beauty, and courage to accept yourself for who you are. Being an Asian-American female going through adolescence and heading towards the long road to adulthood and maturity, I found this book very encouraging and familiar. Yell-Oh Girls! shows that Asian-American girls are neither passive nor quiet and should not be given any label or fitted into any specific media category. However, you do not have to be Asian American to connect with this anthology. The first part titled "Orientation" speaks of finding your identity and your culture. The second section, "Family Ties" contains angst filled stories that deals with one of the more important aspects of one's life...one's family. "Dolly Rage," the third section, rages with fury and ferocity at all those that support the image of a "model female." I especially enjoyed the last two sections, "Finding My Voice" and "Girlwind: Emerging Voice For Change" because it has personal stories of girls speaking out and acting out. Yell-Oh Girls! is a truly breathtaking, magnificent anthology, and its editor, Vickie Nam, is amazing. To me, these stories send out the message, "Yes, girls, it's okay to yell. Yell as loud as you possibly can! Let no one stop your voice!"
Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Book for Asian American Females
Review: Ever since I started rediscovering my Asian American culture in 1997, I searched for everywhere for a book where I could relate my feelings. There are many good books out there written by Asian American authors, but none has compared to this anthology. This is the first book that I have read where I could relate to all the writers' thoughts. "Yell-Oh Girls" is made up of wonderful stories, poems, essays, and quotes by young Asian American girls and female Asian American role models. The book is divided up into 5 categories: Orientation:Finding the Way Home, Family Ties, Dolly Rage, Finding My Voice, and Girlwind:Emerging Voices For Change. The category I found that I could relate to most was "Orientation: Finding the Way Home". In this category, the stories are mainly about dealing with being Asian and American. Many of these girls feel like they are stuck in the middle of nowhere and this is a feeling that many can relate to. Throughout this book there are many topics that make you think. It is such a surprise to discover that racism and ignorance is still occuring in the United States today. From the subject of Mr. Wong to the stereotypical view of Asian females in today's media are also discussed in this book. This is one book that should not be ignored because the Asian American population is growing everyday and the issues in the book are very important. I would highly recommmend this book to everyone I know. Not only is is a great book for Asian American females, but I think people of different races would enjoy. I think many females of different colors can relate to some of what is said in this book. I think it's great that Asian American girls have finally had their chance to speak out for themselves.
Rating:
Summary: Scream like you mean it!
Review: Growing up as an Asian-American girl isn't easy. Vickie Nam wanted to create an anthology of essays, stories, poems and artwork that was all about what it's like to be an Asian-American young woman these days. And she succeeds with a great read for any girl! The collection includes 80 brief selections by young women writers between 15 and 22 years of age, from all over the country. Some stories are sad and thought-provoking, while others will have you giggling on the floor.(...)
Rating:
Summary: Wish this book was around when I was a teenager
Review: I agree with the reader below, this is a sweet collection of stories. I enjoyed and appreciated that the stories don't go into too much depth. For an anthology written by young girls, I think the reader below is expecting too much. I'm glad that the stories are true to their experiences, and that they do not try too hard to "explain" at the expense of being didactic. I would buy this for every young asian american girl I know.
Rating: 
Summary: Important Topics, No Substance
Review: I approached this book with the utmost hopefulness since there has not been one to date on Asian American youth. Unfortunately, now that I am no longer in my teens I have a difficult time relating to their borderline cliche reflections. For sure the anthology could have done without the "Now I'm in this Ivy League college" biographies and most of the poetry, about which I wonder if the authors won't be a bit embarrassed later on. This was a much-needed effort, but just because there is urgency does not warrant slack editing.
Rating:
Summary: MUST READ!
Review: I could not put this book down. It's very comforting to know that I am not alone out there.
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