American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

2006 National Book Award Finalist--Young People's Literature
2006 Printz Honor Book

Bibliography
Yang, Gene Luen. 2006. American Born Chinese. New York: First Second. ISBN 1596431520.

Summary
American Born Chinese is a graphic novel comprised of three separate story lines: the Monkey King of Chinese folk legend who aspires to shed his primate status and become a god; Jin Wang, a Chinese-American boy who just wants to fit in with the American kids in his predominantly white middle school; and Danny, the blonde, blue-eyed, football-playing teenaged boy who is terribly embarrassed and ashamed of his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee, a deliberately exaggerated negative stereotype of Chinese people. In the end, all three stories merge in a surprising and delightful way.

Critical Analysis
Yang skillfully blends pain and humor into this tale about accepting who you are and being comfortable in your own skin. American Born Chinese tackles the heavy issues of racism and self-identity with deceptive simplicity. The moral of the story is obvious, but it's not preachy. Beautifully colored illustrations capture the emotions each of the characters experiences and really add to the overall portrayal of the story. The lines are clean with lots of white space around the drawings, focusing readers' attention on the important details that add meaning.

Even though American Born Chinese speaks specifically to Asians, anybody who has ever wished he or she could be someone else or wake up with a new body will recognize themselves and identify with this book.

Reviews

School Library Journal (starred review)--"[Three] stories converge into a satisfying coming-of-age novel that aptly blends traditional Chinese fables and legends with bathroom humor, action figures, and playground politics."

Booklist--"Yang helps the humor shine by using his art to exaggerate or contradict the words, creating a synthesis that marks an accomplished graphic storyteller."

Voya--"This graphic novel could be especially cathartic for teens and adults of Asian descent, but people of any ethnicity would find themselves reflected in the universal themes of self-acceptance, peer pressure, and racial tensions."

Why you should read it--the basic version:

The story is fun, even though it has an important message. The pictures often "say" the opposite of what the words say, and this irony actually says a lot more than just pictures or just words can say. It's a cool partnership of text and drawings. At times, you'll laugh out loud, like when Jin takes his crush on a date for the first time and worries about the sweat in his pits. His solution leads to a potentially REALLY embarrassing situation. And the way the stories all tie together in the end is very cool. I knew the stories were supposed to come together in the end, but as I read, I couldn't figure out HOW they could possibly be related. Then end surprised me.

IF YOU LIKED THIS BOOK, YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ:

*Other books by Gene Luen Yang:

GORDON YAMAMOTO AND THE KING OF THE GEEKS. The first comic Yang ever did as an adult. Tale of a dim-witted but lovable high school student who learns an important lesson on life after getting something unexpectedly lodged up his nostril. How can you resist a book with a guy picking his nose on the cover?

LOYOLA CHIN AND THE SAN PELIGRAN ORDER. A story about Gordon's crush, a Chinese-American girl who controls her dreams by eating certain foods before she goes to sleep.

Or check out Gene Yang's website, http://www.humblecomics.com/index.htm, to find out more about his mini-comics, how he came about writing his books, or just about him.