Yang, Gene Luen. (2006). American Born Chinese. New York: First Second. ISBN 9781596432086.
Plot Summary
Jin Wang is a loner who gets constantly bullied. He doesn't want to be a loner but he understand fully why he is. He is Chinese-American in a school that has only one other Asian student and he avoids her. Jin Wang story is interwoven with that of the Monkey King, a character from Chinese folklore. The Monkey King is looked down upon because he is a barefoot monkey. Then there is Danny, a popular student, who gets annual visits from his cousin, Chin-Kee, who is an exagerrated Chinese stereotype with buckteeth and a loud annoying laugh. There stories are about overcoming shame, racial stereotypes, and self-acceptance.
Critical Evaluation
This is a wonderful graphic novel that addresses stereotypes against Asians. It is sad, heartwarming, and anger inducing all at the same time. The white students say ignorant things like "My momma says Chinese people eat dogs." The sad thing about this is that comments like that happen all too often. Yang is not afraid to go there with this graphic novel. The main characters struggle with wanting to be anything but who they actually are. Many teens regardless of race feel this way at one time or another. That is why this book is a great read and can teach a lot of valuable lessons about self-acceptance.
Reader's Annotation
A young boy struggles with being Asian at an all-white school. A monkey believes he is a powerful god. Their stories intertwine as they learn to accept who they are.
About the Author
Gene Luen Yang is the author of American Born Chinese, released by First Second Books in 2006, which 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.
Yang teaches computer science at a Catholic school in California.
Genre
Multicultural fiction/graphic novel, Asian Americans
Curriculum Ties
Sociology
Booktalking Ideas
1) Discuss how the three different story lines relate to one another.
2) Discuss the self hatred the characters feel and how that self hatred manifests itself.
Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 12+
Challenge Issues
Racism
Challenge defense ideas
-National Book Award Finalist, San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year
-Become familiar with the book and its content.
-Refer to the collection development policy of the library, see http://sfpl.org/pdf/about/policies/collection-development-plan.pdf
-Refer to reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly available for viewing on amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/American-Born-Chinese-Gene-Luen/dp/1596433736/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1292480788&sr=1-1
Why Included in Titles Selected
Recommended by a friend.
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