Japanese and Chinese culture in America in the first half of the 20th
             century was that of a world within a world. Racial differences led these
             groups to take more time to develop their separate identities. In the case
             of Japanese Americans, we see a world that was steeped in the traditions of
             their rural past. All I Asking for Is My Body portrays life among lower
             middle class Hawaiian Japanese families in the 30's. It focuses on the
             problems of class and ethnic difference on the plantation where the
             characters live and work. In the opening story, the mother of the narrator
             is told to avoid chorimbo (bums) and hoitobo (beggars) who bring shame or
             "sickness" to those around them; this sets the tone of a novel where many
             of the main characters live by parochial rules that they attempt to
             maintain in a new and unique environment. These unspoken community rules
             can be exclusive; one family is ostracized because the mother is a
             prostitute and envied for her automobile and fancy clothes. Racial
             prejudices dictate the nature of interactions between the Japanese
             community and other groups of people on the island, such as the Fillipinos.
             Social politics among community members govern their actions; it
             becomes clear that the second generation, the Nisea, grows up in a world
             that is in many ways closed. There is a sense that any individual's faults
             or flaws is shared near-universally by the other members of his or her
             family. Few find the psychological resources to escape from the perceived
             sense of obligation that underscores their relationships. For instance,
             Kiyoshi's parents came to Hawai'i to help the Oyama patriarch out of
             bankruptcy, and ttheir sons eventually must help them out of debt. Toshio
             and Kiyoshi are pressured by the community's ideas to take thankless
             The idea of contamination' resonates strongly with the community;
             unconventional thinking and associa...