Book 18 American Born Chinese by G. Yang

Summary

This is a graphic novel that contains three different stories. One is about the Monkey King who is also a diety but is not accepted by all the other gods. He tries to be accepted by changing his ways, like wearing shoes and building up his god-like powers. Another story in the book is about a little boy named Jin Yang who was born in America and lives with his parents in an apartment Chinatown. When Jin Yang enters school, his teacher mispronounces his name, he is ridiculed and bullied by his peers, and he sits alone during lunch. His only consolation is his friendships with two other Asian students, one Japanese-American girl, and another Chinese boy named Wei Chen. As they grew older, Jin became more and more obsessed with fitting in that he even curls his hair. The third story is about a blond and curly haired teenage boy named Danny who is visited by his obnoxious and embarrassing cousin from China, Chin Kee. Danny confides in his classmate that he has had to change schools in order to remove himself from the stigma that having such a rude Chinese cousin brings. The end of the book sees these three stories come together. Danny is really Jin Yang and his Chinese cousin is really the Monkey King who has come down to earth to teach Jin to be himself, an American born Chinese.

Impressions

This is a fun graphic novel about a young Chinese-American boy's struggle to come to terms with his identity. Jin Yang was born an American, but is of Chinese descent and is confused about how to fit in. Many teenagers can identify with Jin because trying to fit in is something most teenagers experience, even if they do not have a different cultural heritage. They understand embarrassment, they understand bullying, and they understand how desperate they can be when they have a crush on someone who seems unattainable. This graphic novel has more depth than a mere comic book, and there is a lesson to be learned from the stories: acceptance of ones own inadequacies, the dangers of stereotyping, and the importance of friendships.

Use in the library

The librarian could use this book in a book display on graphic novels while trying to interest the reluctant readers in school. The pages are colorful, the story is told mostly through conversation, and the book has a general theme of trying to fit in that most high school students can identify with the dilemmas of the main character, Jin Yang. The book can also be used in a class of second language learners who may have difficulty reading English, but no difficulty in understanding the pictures. Finally, the book can be used with social studies classes to introduce the topics of racism and bullying in American schools.

Reviews

From Booklist

"With vibrant colors and visual panache, indie writer-illustrator Yang (Rosary Comic Book) focuses on three characters in tales that touch on facets of Chinese American life. Jin is a boy faced with the casual racism of fellow students and the pressure of his crush on a Caucasian girl; the Monkey King, a character from Chinese folklore, has attained great power but feels he is being held back because of what the gods perceive as his lowly status; and Danny, a popular high-school student, suffers through an annual visit from his cousin Chin-Kee, a walking, talking compendium of exaggerated Chinese stereotypes. Each of the characters is flawed but familiar, and, in a clever postmodern twist, all share a deep, unforeseen connection. Yang helps the humor shine by using his art to exaggerate or contradict the words, creating a synthesis that marks an accomplished graphic storyteller. The stories have a simple, engaging sweep to them, but their weighty subjects--shame, racism, and friendship--receive thoughtful, powerful examination." Reviewed by Jesse Karp

From the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Raised in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Jin Wang moves to a new neighborhood and a new school in third grade, where he quickly realizes that he’s an oddball among Anglo-American classmates. Further complicating his life is the arrival of a Taiwanese student who latches onto him for companionship and sticks like a burr on through junior high. The picture of dorkiness in his huge eyeglasses, Robo Happy shirt, hiked-up pants, and cowlick, Wei-Chen Sun turns into Jin’s closest friend and greatest embarrassment, both a cheerleader and a stumbling block to Jin’s efforts to fit into mainstream school life and win the blonde girl of his dreams. Weaving around and ultimately converging with the seriocomic story of Jin’s coming-of-age problems are two related tales that comment on issues of identity. In the first, the Chinese legendary Monkey King, banished from the gods’ dinner party because he is a monkey, perfects his skills and disciplines to the point where he claims to have transcended his monkeyness. As “The Great Sage, Equal of Heaven,” he’s ready to take on all comers including the creator god Tze-Yo-Tzuh, but he is ultimately punished, humbled, and redirected to the understanding that his freedom will only come through acceptance of his true nature. The last piece of the narrative triad is a sitcom, “Everyone Wuvs Chin-Kee,” complete with laugh track, in which broadly stereotyped Chin-Kee turns up on an annual visit to Americanized cousin Danny and, in a series of classroom episodes that play out Jin Wang’s worst nightmares, turns Danny’s social life into a shambles. The graphic-novel format is particularly well suited to managing the flow of three simultaneous story lines, and the action sequences of the Monkey King’s tale and the over-the-top satire on the portrayal of immigrants in American pop culture settle right into their spacious frames on the generously white bordered pages. Compositions are tidy and the palette is softly muted, so that even the strongest colors in the action scenes never reach the intensity of a visual assault. Kids fighting an uphill battle to convince parents and teachers of the literary merit of graphic novels would do well to share this title." Reviewed by Elizabeth Bush.

Resources

Bush, E. (2006, November). [Review of the book American born Chinese by G. Yang ]. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 60(3). Retrieved from http://bccb.lis.illinois.edu/

Karp, J. (2006, September). [Review of the book American born Chinese by G. Yang ]. Booklist. 103(1) Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/

Yang, G. (2006). American born Chinese. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press.