American Born Chinese - Book Review - TWU LS5603 - Spring 2012

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Yang, Gene Luen. 2006. AMERICAN BORN CHINESE. Color by Lark Pien. New York: First Second. ISBN 1596431520 2. PLOT SUMMARY Tales of the Monkey King, an American-Born Chinese (ABC) named Jin Wang and the ultimate Anglo-American boy Danny and his stereotypical Chinese cousin Chin-Kee are the pillars this award winning graphic novel rest upon. Upon beginning this graphic novel the reader is introduced to what they come to know as a traditional tale of the Monkey King. When he is shunned at a party of the heavens for being a monkey, he pushes himself to learn more disciplines of Kung Fu in order to change himself as he wills it. With these powers his story line continues as he exacts revenge on those that mocked him, and finally confronts the god of his existence, who punishes him for his crimes by trapping him under a mountain of magically sealed rock. Entertaining as this story is, it is the elements related to Jin Wang that are the most compelling. As he struggles to find his identity in the country of his birth he calls into question his race, his language, the barbaric treatment of other children, and whether one should change themselves for love. It is Jin’s story that keeps the reader connected. The introduction of Danny’s storyline might seem a bit confusing as we are shown how his sometimes awful Chinese cousin Chin-Kee seems to come in and ruin his perfectly scripted white American teen life. It is only later that we find out all three of these stories actually center around Jin, as Danny is revealed to be Jin, changed into his idealized American self. Chin-Kee is actually the Monkey King, long since made aware of the need to accept and love one’s own identity. In the end the reader is left hopeful that Jin will be able to accept and love himself as an American Born Chinese, and that others can too. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Jin is the perfect teen protagonist as he encounters nearly every emotion young people that age are apt to go through. He fights to belong, chooses to change himself to fit in better, hurts others to protect himself, swoons over the opposite sex, feels jealousy and anger and struggles with simply knowing who he is. He is very compelling and rings absolutely true to readers. If the characters of Danny and Chin-Kee seem a bit false and one dimensional, it is because they are. The reader should know that something isn’t quite right here, and the reveal at the end makes that unease all the more satisfying. We are told that these people were not who they were supposed to be, and told why. The entire theme of finding ones identity and learning to love and accept yourself are bound up in the development of the characters and how they all relate to Jin. After revealing himself to be Chin-Kee in his effort to help Jin find his true identity and stop being the transformed version of Danny he becomes, the Monkey King speaks to us. We are left with these parting words in a simply drawn panel focusing only on the Monkey King’s face. “You know, Jin. I would have saved myself five hundreds years’ imprisonment beneath a mountain of rock had I only realized how good it is to be a monkey.” Yang’s illustrations allow the setting to come to life. The drawings of most locations are non-descript allowing the high school, the homes and the outdoor scenes to take place almost anywhere in America. The focus on the drawings remains steadfastly on the characters. Even the elements of the story which appear to occur in China, those related to the early adventures and imprisonment of the monkey king, are still relatively undetailed allowing the reader to again transfer those graphic experiences in their mind’s eye to their own experiences. The overall style of the graphic novel in words and images is that of simplicity, clearness and a focus on the people involved. The transformations they take, as symbolized by the transformers the young boys have as they begin their journeys, are what the novel is about. 4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S) THE NEW YORK TIMES: ““[W]ith Chin-Kee’s striking embodiment of ethnic confusion and self-betrayal, Gene Luen Yang has created that rare article: a youthful tale with something new to say about American youth..” PUBLISHERS’ WEEKLY REVIEW: “This much-anticipated, affecting store about growing up different is more than just the story of a Chinese-American childhood: it's a fable for every kid born into a body and a life they wished they could escape. The fable is filtered through some very specific cultural icons: the much-beloved Monkey King, a figure familiar to Chinese kids the world over, and a buck-toothed amalgamation of racist stereotypes named Chin-Kee. Jin's hopes and humiliations might be mirrored in Chin-Kee's destructive glee or the Monkey King's struggles to come to terms with himself, but each character's expressions and actions are always perfectly familiar. True to its origin as a Web comic, this story's clear, concise lines and expert coloring are deceptively simple yet expressive.” 5. CONNECTIONS 2006 National Book Awards Finalist *Students could use this graphic novel as a jumping off point into a study of prejudices and stereotyping in the media. Students could collect physical and digital examples where stereotyping is present in the media and create a critical analysis as to why advertisers and others feel the necessity to use stereotypes. *Students could be asked to research and locate, with the help of their teacher and librarian other books that consider identity and finding one’s true self. They can then read this additional report and create a comparison and contrast presentation over the two novels.. *Other graphic novels and comic collections for YA readers by Gene Luen Yang: Yang, Gene Luen. ANIMAL CRACKERS. ISBN-10: 1593621833 Yang, Gene Luen. THE ETERNAL SMILE. ISBN-10: 1596431563