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| American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (First Second) ISBN: 978-1-59643-152-2 |
Plot Summary
The book follows three interweaving narratives. The first is a story of the monkey king being rebuffed at a dinner party for the gods and his attempt to make himself more than a monkey. The second is the story of Jin Wang's attempt to fit in at a new school and subsequent friendship with Taiwanese emigre Wei-Chen Sun. The third story appears to be a television sit-com called "Everyone Ruvs Chin-kee," in which a stereotyped racist caricature of a Chinese youth follows his Caucasian cousin Danny around school performing acts that embarrass Danny (and are themselves stereotyped and racist -- for instance urinating in the soda of an unsuspecting student). Eventually the plot lines entangle in a startling way, that forces the reader to examine racism and cultural acceptance.Critical Evaluation
The book is frank about racism and about Jin's attempts to deny his own history and culture in order to fit in at school. This parallel's nicely with the Monkey King's attempts to distance himself from his monkey heritage by assuming a more human visage and wearing shoes. Yang suggests that such superficial changes and denials can be traps that we set for ourselves and that acceptance of our unique qualities and cultures can be liberating. This is a powerful and uplifting message. Yang also skillfully ties the three disparate strands together in a way that gives the narrative more weight than a simple memoir style graphic novel might otherwise have.Reader’s Annotation
Jin Wang wants to fit in at school, but does he need to change who he is to do it? And what lessons can he learn from the ancient tale of the Monkey King?Information about the author
From author's webpage:Hi! I’m Gene Luen Yang. Thanks for visiting my site! I began publishing comic books under the name Humble Comics in 1996. In 1997, I got the Xeric Grant for Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks. (If you’re interested in creating comics yourself, check out the Xeric Foundation. They’re a great organization!) Since then I’ve written and drawn a number of stories in comics. American Born Chinese, released by First Second Books in 2006, became the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award and the first to win the American Library Association’s Printz Award. It also won an Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album – New. The Eternal Smile, a collaborative project I did with Derek Kirk Kim in 2009, won an Eisner as well. Dark Horse Comics is currently publishing a comics continuation of Nickelodeon’s popular Avatar: The Last Airbender, with art by Gurihiru and story by Mike DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, and me. In September of 2013, First Second Books will release my two-volume graphic novel project Boxers & Saints.
I teach at Hamline University as part of their MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults.
If you’d like to talk to me about my comics, using comics in education, or anything else, please contact me. (Yang, 2010)
Genre
Graphic NovelCurriculum Ties
The work is in the California Department of Education's database of Recommended Literature with a suggestion to use the book in History or Social Science classes. The work could also be used in a literature class, specifically one that was examining world literature like the the tale of the Monkey King's journey to the west.Booktalking Ideas
1) The book is overtly about experiencing racism as a minority in the United States, so this makes an ideal opening salvo in discussing the work.2) Examine the relationships between Jin & Wei-Chen and Danny & Chin-kee. They ultimately parallel.
Reading Level/Interest Age
8th grade and up.Challenge Issues
The book deals openly with racism and includes racist depictions of Chinese people to make its point about cultural acceptance.I would openly greet any patron who presented a challenge to the work, giving them ample time to detail their complaint. I would listen attentively. To respond to these challenges I would have some reviews of the work on hand. I would be prepared to explain that as a public institution libraries "cannot limit access on the basis of age or other characteristics" (ALA, 1999). I would have copies of the library's collection policy on hand. I would be prepared to politely discuss that parents can control what their children are exposed to by coming to the library with them and examining books they check out. If the Teen Advisory Group had written reviews of the work I'd have them handy. While it may be of little comfort to certain parents, I would also be prepared to discuss my staunch support of intellectual freedom and abhorrence of censorship. As a last resort, I would be sure to keep copies or a reconsideration form on hand.
I would also discuss this work's inclusion in the California Department of Education's database of Recommended Literature.
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