Mainly because from any early age, Noda's whole identity as a Japanese-American is the subject of a mixture of incomprehension and stereotyping from white society. She wears an identity that people simply don't understand, one steeped in a history that has traditionally presented Japanese-Americans in a negative light. To other people she'll always be a stranger, other and apart. In support of this contention, Noda maintains that a third-generation German-American is regarded as an American.