American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

1. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA

Yang, Gene Luen., and Lark Pien. American born Chinese. New York: Square Fish, 2010. Print.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

This multi-narrative graphic novel tells the story of Jin Want, a young American Chinese boy struggling to find and reconcile his identity as both someone of Chinese descent, and as an American.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The graphic novel is illustrated in neat and well designed panels. The art is very light with bright colors and simple drawn figures. The novel is not too long, but perfect for a quick read. Many young adults will be drawn to the book for its unique voice in diversity. The three stories in the book are very easy to follow. The author takes three completely different characters and stories and connects them seamlessly by the end of the book. You do not need to be a minority to appreciate the message that your true identity is important. We do not need to change ourselves for others. This message is needed for teens, because it reminds them that it is okay to be themselves. Many minorities are not represented in books, especially graphic novels. This book is a must to complete any school or classroom library.
There is no inappropriate language or situations in the book. At times, there are offensive and aggressive stereotyping of Chinese people with the descent in the book. These moments are not taken lightly, but connect the message of the entire story. Although some situations ring false, it has to be there to expose the stereotypes are not true and sometimes hurtful.


4. CREATIVE ACTIVITY

Megan Lawrence wrote an extensive five week lesson using the graphic novel. It can be adapted to many grade levels. Check it out here.


5. RELATED RESOURCES

This video acts as a "DVD extra" for the book. The author speaks about the book to a crowd of high school students. It was posted on YouTube by Bishop O'Dowd High School.

• "Gene Yang - American Born Chinese - Monkey King Extras." YouTube. N.p., 01 May 2015. Web. 01 Aug. 2017. <https://youtu.be/mbbztB3WStA>.

Joshua Barajas, with KeraTV, interviews the author about the book and about racial issues. Read it here.

• Barajas, Joshua. "This Chinese-American cartoonist forces us to face racist stereotypes." PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, 30 Sept. 2016. Web. 01 Aug. 2017. <http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/this-chinese-american-cartoonist-forces-us-to-face-racist-stereotypes/>.

6. PUBLISHED REVIEW

This is a Publisher's Weekly Review over American Born Chinese. Find it here.

• "Fiction Book Review: American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, Author . First Second $12.95 (233p) ISBN 978-1-59643-152-2." PublishersWeekly.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Aug. 2017. <https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-59643-152-2>.