Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Young Adult Literature - American Born Chinese

Luen Yang, G. (2006). American Born Chinese. New York: Square Fish.

Graphic novels are not the type of books I normally choose to read.  However, I did find this graphic novel to be interesting, even if it was somewhat confusing in spots.  The story follows Jin Wang, who has trouble fitting into school since he is the only Chinese American student.  Later, when Wei-Chen moves from Taiwan, Jin Wang doesn't want to be friends with him at first.  Jin wants, more than anything, to be as American as possible.  The story also follows the tale of the Monkey King, who tried to fit in with the gods, but was rejected because he was a monkey.  Another important character is an American student named Danny.  Danny is embarrassed each year when his Chinese cousin, Chin Kee comes to visit his school.  All three main characters learn about fitting in and being themselves.  I enjoyed the book, but I became somewhat confused towards the end, when Danny became Jin Wang, and Chin Kee revealed himself as the Monkey King.

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