BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Yang, Gene Luen. 2006. AMERICAN BORN CHINESE. New York: First Second.
ISBN: 978-1-59643-152-2
PLOT SUMMARIZATION:
In this uniquely told graphic novel, Yang weaves what appear to be different stories together. One, a mythic story of a royal monkey, one of a high school boy’s crazy Chinese cousin who visits, and then another of a first generation American born Chinese young man. The reader may try to find a tie among the stories for a while on their reading journey before the author cleverly provides clues and conclusion.
In the story of the Monkey King, the great ruler of Monkey Island is a master of martial arts, a self made "man". He is a great leader, revered by his people. He believes himself invincible until he hears of a unique party and tries to attend. He is turned away from the party which is for the gods and goddesses because he is a monkey. With his strength and anger, the Monkey King destroys those who have dared to offend him and to exclude him only to be punished by other gods. In his punishment he is helpless, buried under rock, for 500 years. He is ultimately approached by a monk who rescues him after he learns to give up his need for power and revenge.
Jin Wang is American born from Chinese immigrants to the US; he is from San Francisco. Children at school and teachers don’t understand who he is since he looks different, and he just wants to fit in. Jin hesitates to make friends with another student who moves to his school from Taiwan because he doesn’t want to be seen as different. Unlike Jin, Wei-Chen accepts his differences and tries to help Jin become more comfortable with himself. Readers follow Jin Wang as he grows in the story to a fairly well adjusted teen until he develops a crush on a classmate. Through a series of events, his close friendship with Wei-Chen is ruptured, and their paths go in very different directions.
We also go along with Danny, a blond-haired teen, who has to deal with the visit of Chin-Kee, his Chinese cousin. Chin-Kee is unaware of American customs and is a brash addition to Danny’s classes and circle of friends. Danny has to face his embarrassment about Chin-kee’s appearance, his accent, and his other quirks.
Yang ties all the stories together when Danny lashes out at Chin-Kee causing him to morph into the Monkey King. When called out, Danny becomes his true self…Jin Wang, who has traded those things that are truly important to be more American. Wei-Chen is revealed to be the Monkey King’s son sent to help Jin on his journey.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Yang uses illustration paired with dialogue to address issues of race, prejudice, family, and acceptance. Whether through a random encounter with a Chinese medicine woman who discusses Transformers with young Jin or through the over-the-top portrayal of Chin-Kee, the author pushes readers to confront their own understanding of themselves as well as others. While the comic style of the work lessons the confrontational nature of some of the topics, it does not lesson the message or the challenges.
Vibrant in color, this graphic novel is engaging and allows the reader to find various characters with which to connect. Yang ties in a mythical quality with a current, real world situation of fitting in and coming of age. The reader is challenged to see the stories independently and yet to find their relation. The language is current and accessible for readers in middle grades. The growing up story is most appropriate for this segment of students, as well. Anyone who has ever wanted to just fit in will find this unique tale very relatable while others who have wanted to simply pigeon-hole people will be uncomfortable.
AWARDS/REVIEWS:
*Amazon.com: "Each story works well on its own, but Yang engineers a clever convergence of these parallel tales into a powerful climax..." Jennifer Hubert
*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."
*National Book finalist, 2006
*Printz award, 2007
CONNECTIONS:
*have students pick one of the characters in the story and write a summary of his or her growth during the story
*have students write about a time they felt embarrassed about something: either a family member, a situation, or something about themselves
*have students do a brief research project about Asian Americans, particularly first generation young people
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