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.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Disappointed
Review: I have always believed that good literature/ a good anthology allows people who don't immediately identify with something to not only experience it, but to understand it. If the point of this book was for Asian American women to take a stroll down the memory lane of growing up, than maybe it is a success. I can't speak to this because I not a girl nor am I Asian. What I can say is that this book does a very poor job of bringing us non-Asian females into the world of their adolescence. The stories come across as shallow and lacked any attempt by the authors to place their experiences into the wider realm of establishing ones identity. Maybe this is too much to expect from young writers. In many ways, I thought I was reading letters published in a teenage magazine rather than an anthology. If you are looking for something similar to what this book promises, you might want to read Leaving Deep Water by Claire S. Chow. I wasn't a big fan of this book either, but the stories do a better job of relating the individual's experiences to the clashing of the Asian and American cultures. In conclusion, if you grew up an Asian American girl and want to read something that will make you sit up and say "Yeah! That's just how I felt growing up" or "That's how I felt when I was younger.." maybe this book is for you. For everyone else, don't bother.
Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointed
Review: I have always believed that good literature/ a good anthology allows people who don't immediately identify with something to not only experience it, but to understand it. If the point of this book was for Asian American women to take a stroll down the memory lane of growing up, than maybe it is a success. I can't speak to this because I not a girl nor am I Asian. What I can say is that this book does a very poor job of bringing us non-Asian females into the world of their adolescence. The stories come across as shallow and lacked any attempt by the authors to place their experiences into the wider realm of establishing ones identity. Maybe this is too much to expect from young writers. In many ways, I thought I was reading letters published in a teenage magazine rather than an anthology. If you are looking for something similar to what this book promises, you might want to read Leaving Deep Water by Claire S. Chow. I wasn't a big fan of this book either, but the stories do a better job of relating the individual's experiences to the clashing of the Asian and American cultures. In conclusion, if you grew up an Asian American girl and want to read something that will make you sit up and say "Yeah! That's just how I felt growing up" or "That's how I felt when I was younger.." maybe this book is for you. For everyone else, don't bother.
Rating:
Summary: Yell-oh Girls Speak Out!
Review: I ordered this book online a few weeks before it came out in bookstores on August 1. For the first few moments after I got it in the mail, I just held it. This is a book I would appreciate now as a 21-year-old college graduate, but one that would have been my companion as a miserable high schooler. I don't know what the editor Vickie Nam went through exactly when she grew up in a white town, since I grew up outside of LA for most of my life where there were always tons of APA kids. But I related to so many of the stories because I remember how it felt being an Asian American girl who knew I didn't fit into "American" society because the majority saw me as different-an alien, kind of. Every kid can probably think of a time when he or she was called a 'chink' (a penetrating story in "Dolly Rage"), or when she tried to live up to her parents dreams (several stories in "Family Ties"). I loved reading this book because it's a first real resource for kids who are trying to understand their cultural identity. It's something I can share with my baby cousin when she reaches middle school, so she's not just stuck with the stuff that portrays white girls and mainstream society. This book-- well-written and totally relevant in today's world-- is definitely going to make girls look at themselves in new ways. Thanks to the courage of a whole army of Yell-oh girls!
Rating: 
Summary: It could have been better.
Review: I wanted to like this book so much and I really am glad it exists. The voices of Asian Americans in general need to be heard in all their diversity. But this treatment is narrow, repetitive, and embarrassingly earnest. Some of the pieces are better written than others but generally the book is hampered by the premature abilities of it's youthful writers. The girls are uniformly young -- they all range in age from about 16-22 -- and most sound firmly entrenched in the asian and women's studies jargon - lite. The personal stories were interesting, but did they all have to end with the pat "but it made me a stronger person" finale? Quite the "model minority" response. It gets more than tiresom after the first 15 or so. I enjoyed the mentor pieces best.
Rating: 
Summary: Yell-Oh Girls!
Review: I was incredibly excited to read "Yell-oh Girls" after I had heard about it in several magazines. I felt that a collection of essays, stories, letters and poems by adolescent Asian Americans like myself was overdue. As a Korean-American adoptee, I had hoped that this book would help me feel connected to a culture which I am not actively involved in. As I began to leaf through the pages of "Yell-Oh Girls" however, I saw only one story by an adoptee, and many which were overly critical of whites and society in general. Although I enjoyed and sympathized with many of the girl's stories about body image, and dealing with racism from their peers, I don't feel that harboring animosity towards any group of people (in this case, the white majority) will ever end discrimination, or help everyone to "belong." In short, I am glad I purchased, "Yell-Oh Girls" for the perspectives that it offered, but I do not agree that the opinions and experiences expressed are those of all Asian Americans. Although many stories are poignant and memorable, some unfortunately demonstrate the immaturity and prejudice which minorities seek to destory every day.
Rating:
Summary: Yell-Oh Girls!
Review: I was incredibly excited to read "Yell-oh Girls" after I had heard about it in several magazines. I felt that a collection of essays, stories, letters and poems by adolescent Asian Americans like myself was overdue. As a Korean-American adoptee, I had hoped that this book would help me feel connected to a culture which I am not actively involved in. As I began to leaf through the pages of "Yell-Oh Girls" however, I saw only one story by an adoptee, and many which were overly critical of whites and society in general. Although I enjoyed and sympathized with many of the girl's stories about body image, and dealing with racism from their peers, I don't feel that harboring animosity towards any group of people (in this case, the white majority) will ever end discrimination, or help everyone to "belong." In short, I am glad I purchased, "Yell-Oh Girls" for the perspectives that it offered, but I do not agree that the opinions and experiences expressed are those of all Asian Americans. Although many stories are poignant and memorable, some unfortunately demonstrate the immaturity and prejudice which minorities seek to destory every day.
Rating: 
Summary: Expected more
Review: I went into this book with the expectation of learning more about the asian american story- instead I got very generic stories. I think it would be better if the writters weren't all just teenagers and early twenties.
Rating:
Summary: This book has good intentions
Review: I'm basically the market for which this book is intended, and while it is always important to understand and listen to teen voices, by which are no less important then any other this book dubbed poignant lacks its hefty title....and Yes I do realize that its for teens... but maybe the authors concept could have been developed more into a book about GOOD AND Talanted young authors instead of just a random junky group of contributers... also if you are looking for someting like this but with a bit more braun i suggest the book LEAVING DEEP WATER, thanks..
Rating:
Summary: truly unique and excellent book
Review: ok, let me first emphasize that THIS book is one of the few out there that truly represents the views of young asian american girls of today. It's funny, raw and very witty. I'm not just saying this because I happen to be one of the contributors, BUT come now, what other book does this. I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially young and fledgeling asian american girls trying to find their indentity and their place in society. It's a book all of us can identify with, so get it for your mom, sister, grandmother, grandfather, father, etc...etc...
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