American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang

Cover:

Bibliographic Information:

Title: American Born Chinese

Author: Gene Luen Yang

ISBN:  978-1596433731

Publisher: First Second

Copyright: 2006

Reader’s Annotation:

Often accepting one’s identity is a long and complicated journey.

Summary:

We open with the story of the Monkey King, who has been excluded from a banquet for all the gods; he attempts to gain entrance, and is forced to deal with the fact that he is being mocked for being a monkey.  We then begin the story of Jin, a young Chinese boy born and raised in America.  Jin goes to school, where he is mocked for being Chinese. Eventually, another Asian child arrives, Wei-Chen, from Taiwan.  Jin and Wei-Chen become friends, despite the fact that Jin is somehow bothered by Wei-Chen’s overt Asian-ness.  A third story is introduced, involving a white boy named Danny, and his (racist) stereotypical Asian cousin, Chin-Kee.  Chin-Kee comes to visit, and ends up embarrassing Danny.  The rest of the book involves parallels between the three stories.  The monkey king tries to increase his own power and standing, Jin tries to date a while girl and assimilate, and Danny’s life is ruined by Chin-Kee.  Eventually, all the stories intermingle with into one resolution.

Critical Evaluation:

One of the hallmarks of great art is that it evokes emotion; that does not always mean it evokes a positive emotion.  Yang has crafted a story that, at times, makes readers highly uncomfortable.  The portions of the story that feature Chin-Kee, for example, are difficult to read.  Chin-Kee represents common Asian racial stereotypes.  It is not common that we see these types of stereotypes today, but they serve as important commentary for the struggles Asian Americans have endured socially. 

The writing style is unusual, in that there are three parallel stories, each with its own setting and cast of characters.  At first it is difficult to see how the stories fit together, particularly the story of the monkey king, but as the book moves toward its conclusion, we see how all three stories are, at their heart, about accepting one’s identity and learning to feel comfortable in one’s own skin.

Visually, the book also exhibits a few different styles.  The sections about the monkey king see more cartoon like and fantastic, while the two stories featuring the boys are, for the most part, more realistic.  The one exception to this is Chin-Kee.  He is drawn as a caricature, so as to best isolate the absurdity of the stereotypes he represents.  Throughout the book, the colors are soft and subdued, which give an impression of there being distance placed between the book and the readers.

In this title, Yang has confronted racism head on.  By weaving together three seemingly unrelated stories into one main theme, he has given readers a meaty story on which they can reflect.

Author Biography:

(from author’s Amazon page)

Gene Luen Yang is currently serving as the Library of Congress' fifth National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. His 2006 book American Born Chinese was the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award and the first to win the American Library Association's Michael L. Printz Award. It also won an Eisner Award. His 2013 two-volume graphic novel Boxers & Saints was nominated for the National Book Award and won the LA Times Book Prize. Gene currently writes Dark Horse Comics' Avatar: The Last Airbender series and DC Comics' Superman. Secret Coders, his middle-grade graphic novel series with cartoonist Mike Holmes, teaches kids the basics of computer programming.

Genre(s):

Graphic Novel

Curriculum Ties:

Pennsylvania State Standard CC.1.3.9-10.K

Read and comprehend literary fiction on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.

Booktalk Ideas:

A discussion on what teens consider different aspects of their own identities

A discussion on things teens have done to fit in, even if it did not really match their identity

          

Reading Level:

Lexile 530

Interest Age: 

14 and up

Challenge Issues: Could be challenged on the inclusion of some racist language.

  If this book were challenged I would:

·         Listen to the concerns of the person raising the challenge

·         Consult the library’s collection development policy

·         Explain how this work meets a library need based on the collection development policy 

·         Consult YALSA’s Dealing with Challenges to Young Adult Materials

·         Consult reviews on VOYA, Amazon, Common Sense Media, and Kirkus

·         Discuss any awards or notable commendations the book received

·         Explain the library’s commitment to intellectual freedom as discussed in the ALA Library Bill of Rights

·         Give the patron the procedure for a formal challenge should they seek to pursue it

Why was this book selected:

The first time I encountered this graphic novel was in this class, and I immediately began recommending it to teens.  While the story focuses on the experience of fitting in from an Asian American perspective, it is a theme to which so many teens can relate, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, or any other defining feature.  Almost all teens feel like outsiders at some point.  However, I also thing that it is important for my collection to include a work featuring Asian characters, written by an Asian author.  I really wanted to find ways to make my collection diverse.