Thanks to the 60 who joined us on March 12 at the Suyama Project panel to hear about the life of John Okada and how he wove his experiences into his landmark novel NO-NO BOY.

At the panel, historian Roger Daniels asked a provocative question: “When does the term ‘no-no boy’ first appear in print?” No one in the room could say. 

Roger said you would think the term would appear in the camp newspapers of the time, but he said he’s been methodically searching copies of the Tulean Dispatch and so far has not found the term mentioned.

It’s not likely that Okada coined the term with publication of his landmark novel in 1957.  Please comment below with the earliest mention you’ve found of the term. Inquiring minds want to know: When was the first time the term “no-no boy” was used in print?