American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Bibliography:
Yang, Gene Luen, and Lark Pien. 2006. American born Chinese. New York: First Second. ISBN 978-0312384487

Plot Summary: 

American Born Chinese is a graphic novel that weaves together three different, yet inter-related, stories.  The first story is about a monkey king and his struggles to conquer the world.  The second is about a child of immigrants, named Jin Wang, who finds it hard to fit in with his is American classmates.  The third story is about Danny whose Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee, comes to visit him every year.  Chin-Kee is a stereotypical Chinese teenager and this embarrasses Danny.  In the end all three stories come together and each boy learns how to be happy exactly as they are. 

Critical Analysis

All of the main characters in this book were memorable and strong.  The teen boys go through all the emotions that teens today can relate to such as the need to fit in, embarrassment from family members, love, and more.  The supporting characters are very funny and Chin-Kee will have readers laughing out loud. 

The different plots of all three stories were very heartwarming and funny.  While there was no tragic death or loss, the story was still engaging because we wanted these boys to find peace with their cultures and family.  The setting of the story was also relatable because it took place in American high schools.  We might not all be Chinese, but many of us have attended high school.  

Self -acceptance is a strong theme in this book and is applicable to anyone.  No matter what our backgrounds are, we all go through phases where we wish we were someone else.  This book touches on that nerve in all readers as they go through or remember their own quest for self acceptance.  

Culture is very strong in this book.  This book busts through stereotypes while making fun of them.  Chin-Kee is every single stereotype of a Chinese person that anyone could ever think of and it is clear that Gene Yang is doing this to put the stereotypes out in the open.  

Review Excerpts:

• The Miami Herald-  “. . . brilliantly written and designed, sophisticated and wise.”
• Publishers Weekly- “Yang accomplishes the remarkable feat of practicing what he preaches with this book: accept who you are and you'll already have reached out to others.”

Connections:

**Have students do a writing exercise in which they remember a time when they felt different than everyone else and how they feel about it now looking back.  

**Listen to Gene Yang talk about his own struggle with his cultural heritage.  http://youtu.be/FYCZqt5WSOM