American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese
by Gene Luen Yang

Bibliography

Yang, G. L.(2006). American Born Chinese. New York: First Second. ISBN 9781415688786

Plot Summary

Three separate yet connected stories make up this award winning graphic novel about the trials and triumphs of being an American born Chinese person.  The Monkey King is dissatisfied with his place in life, Jin Wang must figure out what his place is, and Danny has it all, until his cousin Chin-Kee shows up.  Each story moves forward in time until they meet and become one, ending in a satisfying, if somewhat abrupt, conclusion.

Critical Analysis

Realistic, dynamic characters; magical creatures; immortal battles; an original, exciting plot; and universal truths all rolled into one well written, creatively drawn and colored graphic novel for young adults.  American Born Chinese has it all. No wonder it won the Michael L. Printz Award in 2007. 

Yang creates a believable, consistent world with all the classic earmarks of good fantasy: the Monkey King's quest, excellent dialog, a clearly drawn setting, and those fabulous characters!  The only non-realistic character is the stereotypical Chin-Kee character who is so outlandishly drawn that he is obviously a foil in the story and a statement against stereotyping.

All young adults trying to find there place in this world will identify with Jin Wang and may even see themselves as giving up to much to fit in, as he does. Hopefully, they will also see that they too can remain true to themselves and have a fulfilling life, as Jin Wang and the Monkey King do after many trials and tribulations.

Review Excerpts

* Booklist, "The stories have a simple, engaging sweep to them, but their weighty subjects--shame, racism, and friendship--receive thoughtful, powerful examination."

* KLIATT Review, "It is highly recommended for all graphic novel collections."

* Derek Kirk Kim, "As an Asian American, American Born Chinese is the book I've been waiting for all my life."

Connections

* Here is a very interesting interview with Gene Yang.  If you scroll all the way to the bottom, you can see the original picture that inspired the illustration on the last page of the book.  He also discusses it in the interview.

* Humblecomics.com (Comics and Other Stuff by Gene Yang) is worth the time to visit.  There's educational value with Yang's Master's project on using Comics in Education and Factoring with Mr. Yang and Mosley, which I will be using with my son, no doubts!  There's also fun with Monkey Kingdom, along with other comics by Yang.  This is one of my new favorites.

* Gene Yang won the Michael L. Printz Award in 2007.  Here is a link the YALSA Michael L. Printz award page where you can view current and past winners as well as information about the award and Michael L. Printz.