The Yokota Officers Club A Novel Ballantine Readers Circle

Stories nestle inside stories like a set of Russian dolls in Bird’s (Virgin of the Rodeo) wonderful fifth novel. Set in the late 1960s, it is narrated by 18-year-old Bernie, the eldest of six children in the peripatetic Root family. After her freshman year in college, Bernie joins her nomadic kin at their current home, an Okinawan air force base. They have changed: her younger sister, Kit, is out of control and “now being played by Lolita”; her once glamorous mother, Moe, is overweight and depressed; her father, who was a heroic and swaggering fighter pilot, has become a distant, self-loathing “ground pounder.” And Bernie can’t stop thinking of Fumiko, the family’s former maidservant, whom no one is allowed to mention. Before being sucked into the family’s torpor, Bernie escapes by winning a dance contest that lands her in Tokyo as the stage partner of Bobby Moses, a third-rate borscht belt comedian. There she delves into the past to solve the mystery surrounding Fumiko’s disappearance and her family’s deterioration. Bernie sharp and snarky, yet severely introverted is a delightful heroine, and the large cast that swirls around her is equally endearing. Particularly fine are the wisecracking yet nurturing Moe and the oddly touching Bobby Moses, who’s vulgar and mediocre, but insistent on professionalism. The dialogue is first-rate, and all the ’60s brand-name dropping is amusing; the decade becomes fresh again when seen from the unusual perspective of a military family (especially this one) removed from mainland society. (June) Forecast: Bird has David Sedaris’s gift for mining scathing wit from family dysfunction. Only one of her earlier novels is still in print, but hopefully her move to Knopf (and a slew of enthusiastic blurbs from the likes of Rick Bass) will help her to win the large readership she deserves.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars childhood memories
Growing up in an Air Force family stationed at Yokota Air Force Base, this book caught my attention. It is interesting to see Kadena and Yokoto compared, and the memories this brings back are too fun. Interesting story style – just wish Sarah Bird did not see the need to use the “F” word…so unnecessary. The story is great without it!!

4 Stars Good book – Entertaining – Good ending & I was there
I was stationed at Yokota AFB from 1964 to 1966. Though I was just a lowly airman and not an officer, I can tell you that the descriptions of everything were quite accurate, at least from what I knew.

It was interesting to note that Sarah Bird’s father flew reconnaissance missions and the squadron that I worked for, the 67th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron (67th RTS), no doubt processed the film his crew shot – though unknown to me at the time. Also, after my tour of duty at Yokota, I was transfered to Kadena AFB in Okinawa as was the character in the book (and presumably Sarah’s father). However Okinawa was considered an important military base and not a dead end as depicted in the novel. It was after all the Far East home of the SR-71 Black Bird “spy” plane.

If you are interested in more on that subject, there is an interesting book on Amazon about the 67th RTS called “Asia From Above” ISBN 1420834894 which told me more about what happened during that time than I knew when I was working there.

In summary, Sarah’s book is very interesting and nostalgic for those where there, and has an interesting multiple twist ending. I recommend the book.

For those who were in the 67th who would like to correspond, I can be reached at: Temp at AltairSeven dot Com

Just replace the “at” with “@” and the “dot” with “.” and make it all one word.

3 Stars I lived this life at Yokota AFB in the early 60’s!
What a title! It grabbed me by the heart! I watched the mail for the book everyday, wondering if it would be as exciting a read as I hoped it could be and it was! ! I was so excited to stumble onto Sarah Bird and this book about an era and real place in which I lived. As an Air Force Officer’s dependent, my Dad was #3 on Yokota Air Force Base. We were there during the worst Cold War era, late 50’s thru early 60’s. My Dad’s tour was extended several times, for “important” reasons. One of our early maids was fired because she was asking me too many questions about my dad. That was a very big deal, as she was our favorite maid, much like the story. It was all probably innocent, but it was the times, but I too felt responsible. We’d see her from time to time at the O club where she worked as a waitress, and it was always sad and she was sad, too. I identified with so much of Sarah’s story. I remember my dad’s frustrations about things, too. The riots were very real, frequent, scary and steps away from our North Area quarters. All that separated us from thousands of protestors were two high barbed wire perimeter fences. Their behavior was such a departure from the wonderful Japanese people that were in our daily lives, it was really scary for us, as children. But 99% of the Japanese people were just so wonderful and kind and hospitable, as well reflected in Sarah’s story. I lived a few houses away from the Yokota Officer’s Club. So I give kudos to Sarah’s mom, as I think this is as much her story as Sarah’s and her protagonist’s story. Sarah’s mom needs great thanks for the texture and accurary and tone of this book. It is obvious she helped Sarah with those important minute details from 40-45 years ago. For example, details like; YAFB’s O club’s “pink” women’s lavatory and other minute details like the garden behind the club which I don’t remember are a few of the details, if real, I credit to Sarah’s mom. I remember the big dinig room and we had strawberry waffles there every Sunday. You could buy freshly made glazed do-nuts in the morning of swimming lessons and every summer morning. I swam in that pool every summer day for nearly four years and went to the theater down the road every Saturday, hoping for the “21″ lucky ticket stub and ate one of only three candies offered at the concession stand; a Three Musketeers bar, or else the other choices were Necco wafers, or black licorice, yuck! Unless, of course some deep details are pure poetic license, but with so many details right, I’m not sure. So it did awaken memories I’d long forgotten and added things I didn’t know, that only Sarah’s mom could know in detail. Alas my parents are gone or else I’d ask them to verify the accuracy of some things I’d forgotten, but it’s amazing how much I remember, too. I just loved reliving it all thru this book. We didn’t live under such threat of being sent home, but I’m sure it might have existed, maybe because we weren’t teens, yet. My little first grade brother broke the windshield of the school bus with a rock filled snowball and we never feared being sent home and never knew of anyone sent home for dependent’s bad behavior reasons. He had to write 1000 times “I will not throw snowballs at the bus.” Being in first grade, I don’t know how much he got done or if he could even print that sentence, but I know he did some of it. Then, he broke another car windshield throwing a baseball and had to go see the Base Commnader, my dad’s friend, but that’s as far as it went. They scared him good, telling him he was going to be sent home! I can just see my dad snickering, now. He had a great sense of humor. One New Year’s he and his buddies tied huge strings of fire crackers to the same Base Commander’s tree outside his front door, across the grounds from our quarters and lit the tree on fire. I watched them have fun putting out the little tree fire with pots of water from our house, all seen secretively from my second story bedroom, so I’m not so sure the atmosphere was that stiff. We all had grounds gardeners, so the grass was never an issue, maybe in Okinawa, but not at Yokota. But we all dressed up, but that was the era. We had our own personal seamstresses. I enjoyed my unique, one of a kind, designer Barbie clothes made from scraps from my mom’s evening gowns. Sarah and I and our mothers could have gone to school together at the same base school, same time and our moms could have been in the same clubs as my mom was frequently an officer or a chairwoman in every known club for the wives, like the antagnoist of this story. But my mom wasn’t ruthless, cliquey or cruel to fellow wives. They sure did have a gazillion teas though, as I was in training to be a proper hostess when I became an adult. I was one to help with the silver and brass polishing, food prep, table setting, punch serving, pouring, clearing, etc. and all that teas and formal entertaining entailed with our housemaid and houseboy helping. I still have all of her nice tea services and linens. My mother received an accomodation for her volunteerism and programs she created for Japanese wives of the servicemen from President Eisenhower. They wore blues most of our tour. Watching all salute my dad was a thrill. But Sarah got so much of it right, that it was truly a fun, nostalgic flashback for me. I attended school on base too, in West Area and lived both in West Area and North Area, doors away from the club. I’m pretty sure our West Area school was not called Bob Hope School during my time and the time of this book. We had annual Halloween parades from school thru the streets of West Area. I wore my kimono our maid helped us purchase. I also rode the bus to Johnson AS for 6th and 7th grade. Living off base was temporary for Officers, full time off base housing was relegated to NCOs and new arrivals, usually. We never lived off base, perhaps because of my dad’s position. But the town is real. It was very quaint and sweet then. Went there many many many times for festivals and buying things. Sarah’s story of their beloved housemaid, and we loved our maids and one houseboy also a gate guard, was something I never as a child or adult thought about and now wonder about — who they were before they came into our lives. Very beautifully done. I too am a writer, working on my break-through projects, in part, due to those stolen late nights under the covers, with my little Japanese radio won at Bingo. Our Armed Forces radio station on the weekends played “THE SHADOW KNOWS”, “SALVATION ARMY THEATER” and “THE WHISTLER” radio dramas. I’d never miss them. We toured Japan extensively. It was so beautiful. I discovered Nancy Drew and still have my books and I was the winner of the supposed last Yokota Officer’s Club Bingo coverall jackpot of $150 dollars. I remember how the adults groaned and my dad was sure I made a mistake. My winning number was G-48! I never forgot this and my dad took me space-available on our father-daughter trip to Okinawa, visitng friends on the base in this book, Taiwan, Hong Kong, I bought a pretty Princess ring, and went on a three day cruise for dependents from Hong Kong to S. Korea, then a 9 hr. train ride to the AFB where we flew home again to Yokota AFB. And irony of ironies, my husband and I went to school in Japan at the same time, same school and 21 years later, I stumbled upon this very familiar guy while working out in a health club in N. Calif. His parents had two tours of Japan; one right after the occupation, and era written so dramatically in Sarah’s book, and one with us. Both of our sisters were born at Johnson AS. This year will be our 24th together. All the best to Sarah Bird for helping me re-live a great childhood and fondly remember those wonderful Japanese people who touched our lives so sweetly. It would be lovely to correspond with you, Sarah. And to all of you service dependents, it was the best childhood, ever, wasn’t it! I can’t wait to read more of Sarah’s work! carlyn@ojai.net. Carlyn Hansen-Kennedy, Friday Harbor WA

5 Stars Excellent example of military life
I was an Air Force brat in the late 1970s, living in Germany during the height of RAF violence. My stepdad was a Major, too. The descriptions of Air Force life, the threats of getting kicked out of base housing (for things as mundane as playing my 45 records louder than a whisper), the gossipy nature of military spouses, mostly women, and the constant reminder that you are an officer’s child came back to me. The vocabulary: RIF, TDY, PCS all still hold true, too.

The story is not exclusively military related, as anyone can read this story and know what is going on: an otherwise very “strat” Air Force officer committed an unmentionable act with which the entire family has to learn how to cope. Some of the family members cope better than others, because some are more willing to talk about what happened while those still suffering from the consequences refuse to even mention the event. These family secrets are all classic coming-of-age stories. Add in a Japanese background, 1968 Vietnam War, military life and you have one wonderful story.

4 Stars A fun read!
I enjoyed this book. I do agree with another reader that there was times when it seemed to drag on but I wanted to know how the author tied up ends. Being in the AF and stationed on Kadena, I enjoyed reading about it. However, I think it would be enjoyed my anyone that enjoys a good coming of age story. I highly recommend it!

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