American Born Chinese

Title: American Born Chinese

Author:  Gene Luen Yang

Graphic Novel 

 

American Born Chinese is a graphic novel that contains three stories. One is about “The Monkey King” (a traditional Chinese tale) and his quest for power, the second is about Jin Wang who has recently moved into a white town, and the last is about Danny and his Chinese cousin Chinky, who embarrasses him. Though separate tales, by the end the three come together for an exciting twist. 

I personally found the book to be very confusing and can honestly say I did not care for it. Though I realize the book was trying to challenge Chinese stereotypes in America, I still found the way in which this was done to be offensive and unclear. There were times when I was literally cringing after some of the comments Chinky made and the way in which he was portrayed. I’m not sure if I would even feel comfortable sharing this story with my Asian-American students. 

A subplot in the story deals with identity and how this evolves over time. This is seen in all three mini stories but especially comes together in the end when the three stories come together as one. On a positive note, I do feel as if this message was powerful and well-done, I’m just not sure if it was explicit enough, especially for younger readers. 

In the end, I am unsure about using this book in a classroom. Though I believe there are some good things about the novel, overall I feel as if it was unclear. Many messages in the story can be misinterpreted by students (as they were for me). Nevertheless, some students may enjoy reading this story because it is a graphic novel and they can relate to the identity crisis the main character undergoes and the racial stereotyping he faces.