American Born Chinese
Indie graphic novelist Gene Yang’s intelligent and emotionally challenging American Born Chinese is made up of three individual plotlines: the determined efforts of the Chinese folk hero Monkey King to shed his humble roots and be revered as a god; the struggles faced by Jin Wang, a lonely Asian American middle school student who would do anything to fit in with his white classmates; and the sitcom plight of Danny, an All-American teen so shamed by his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee (a purposefully painful ethnic stereotype) that he is forced to change schools. Each story works well on its own, but Yang engineers a clever convergence of these parallel tales into a powerful climax that destroys the hateful stereotype of Chin-Kee, while leaving both Jin Wang and the Monkey King satisfied and happy to be who they are.
Yang skillfully weaves these affecting, often humorous stories together to create a masterful commentary about race, identity, and self-acceptance that has earned him a spot as a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People. The artwork, rendered in a chromatically cool palette, is crisp and clear, with clean white space around center panels that sharply focuses the reader’s attention in on Yang’s achingly familiar characters. There isn’t an adolescent alive who won’t be able to relate to Jin’s wish to be someone other than who he is, and his gradual realization that there is no better feeling than being comfortable in your own skin.–Jennifer Hubert
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars Warning: Don’t Read This Book Alone
I initially rated this work with a one star review, but that was the result of being a 4th generation Chinese American of Cantonese heritage, and actually more sensitive to the stereotypes that are satirized by the Chin-Kee character. I haven’t actually queried author Yang about his views but I speculate that he doesn’t actually consider himself an American Born Chinese, but rather an American Born Taiwanese and isn’t part of the lineage that Chin-Kee is mocking. Nevertheless, I believe Yang’s intentions are good and thus I would give it a 3 star review with a couple of caveats.
First, beware of the Law of Unintended Consequences, in this case, the result of using the comic book medium to present ideas. “The Medium is the Massage” by Marshall Mcluhan describes potential consequences of the work perfectly. The comic book, or in this case the graphic novel genre is what would be considered a “cool” medium meaning the visual images provide a high level of stimulus, but the written message has a lower level and requires much more active participation before it is received. This means that American Born Chinese quite possibly has the unintended consequence of perpetuating the very stereotype it wants to conquer, unless an outside influence, a teacher or parent for instance, provides careful guidance to the reader.
Ironically, the most damaging stereotype I find in the book is not Chin-Kee, but rather the character Wei Chen who is revealed to be part of a phenomenon known as Asian Pride, or AP. The AP drives a “tuner” car, and sports all the accoutrements you see in the book. I wish to sidestep over-generalization by saying I’ve had ample opportunity to observe “AP” young people and suspect they have as much, if not more angst about their racial and cultural heritage which keeps them from reaching their full potential as Americans. Also,the potential for racism can go in both directions as a result.
Regardless of one’s opinion, it is undeniable that this is a popular book. My local library has 5 copies. So my only suggestion is that as young people read it, they are given ample opportunity to engage in dialogue to reveal the true messages being conveyed.
5 Stars Great Read
An excellent exploration on what we do to conform and how we hide our true selves so that we can fit in.
5 Stars Excellent, but even more so for kid who grew up outsiders.
The graphic novel is excellent. The tri-fold story, the art work, and message of acceptance, friendship, and tolerance.
5 Stars An impressive and powerful graphic novel
As a relative newcomer to the graphic novel genre, I’ll say upfront that my review probably won’t ‘cut the mustard’ for diehard fans of the genre! That being said, I was blown away by the power and message of this novel. It is a poignant story, one which really opened my eyes to the immigrant experience of someone like the character Jin, who is born in the US but whose parents come from another country. This novel is structured well, and relates to the reader three different (apparently unrelated) vignettes, which eventually intersect in the story’s conclusion (in a way that is skillful, rather than cliched). I liked the simplicity of the illustrations, which were vibrant and colorful, but were done in a way that seemed to reflect the written narrative very well. This would be an excellent read for young adults (14 and up, I’d say) and adults alike. I’d recommend this to fellow readers in a heartbeat, both to anyone who already reads graphic novels and enjoys them or to someone who might be looking for their first foray into this diverse genre. “American Born Chinese” made quite an impression on me, and I highly recommend it.
5 Stars Amazing Graphic Novel
“One bright and starry night, the Gods, the Goddesses, the Demons, and the Spirits gathered in Heaven for a dinner party.”
This book, told in Graphic Novel format, contains 3 separate tales:
The first tale is the legendary Chinese fable of The Monkey King. The Monkey King was the ruler of all the monkeys on the Flower-Fruit Mountain. When the Gods were having their dinner party, he tried to attend. But because he was a monkey (and didn’t wear shoes) he was denied admittance. This changed the Monkey King. He was embarrassed by it, and decided to change himself. He required all monkeys to wear shoes. He studies the 12 disciplines of kung fu to become more than just a monkey. In fact, he transforms himself into a different type of deity all together.
The second tale is about Jin, an American-Born Chinese. His parents immigrated from China and met in college. Jin’s mom told him the reason she chose to marry Jin’s father. “Of all the PhD. students at the university, he had the thickest glasses. Thick glasses meant long hours of studying. Long Hours of studying meant a strong work ethic. A strong work ethic meant a high salary. A high salary meant a good husband.” When Jin is 9, his family moves out of Chinatown, and Jin has to start a new school. Where he is different; the outsider. He suffers from bullies and bouts of embarrassment over his culture.
The final tale is of Danny, the American boy that has a Chinese cousin, named Chin-Kee. Chin-Kee is the epitome of a negative Chinese stereotype. He has buck teeth, a thick accent, and even eats cats. Danny is so embarrassed by Chin-Kee’s yearly visits that he has to switch schools every year.
What can be said about this beautiful little book that hasn’t already been said?? It truly is a masterpiece. We follow Jin through grade school, where he befriends the student, Wei-Chen, who has just arrived from Taiwan. At first, Jin tries to ignore the other student, but when the two boys start talking about toys (Transformers), they soon become best friends.
The 3 stories eventually come together, all related in a surprisingly beautiful ending. It is basically the story of loving the person that you are. And if you try to change yourself to fit another’s persons image of how you “should” be, then you will eventually lose yourself. It sounds deep, and it is. But it is told with a light-hearted humor and really great pictures. Just a small example:
“The only other Asian in my class was Suzy Nakamura. When the class finally figured out that we weren’t related, rumors began to circulate that Suzy and I were arranged to be married on her thirteenth birthday. We avoided each other as much as possible.”
Not only is this a wonderful tale that highlights the pain of stereotyping and racism, but also teaches a lesson on self-appreciation and self-awareness. An incredibly quick read (I was finished in about an hour), American Born Chinese is absolutely a must-read. Warm, heart-breaking and yet uplifting, this is one book that I can not truly recommend enough. And for anyone that ever says Graphic Novels are just “comic” books, I think you have a lesson waiting for you. A true 5 Star read!!!
Filed under: Top Graphic Novels | No Comments »
(Why is Kyoko so insane? Oh, but she wouldn’t be half so lovable if she weren’t a fanatical, delusional nutcase…)