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Loading... American Born Chineseby Gene Luen Yang
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. Some books try hard to describe the importance of knowing oneself. Gene Luen Yang's graphic novel does more than illustrate the importance of knowing oneself, it provides a richly textured, aesthetically pleasing story that follows the paths of three characters as they journey to self-understanding. At once a novel that illustrates the harmful tendencies of racial bigotry, but also a novel that explores the role of individual in a misunderstood ethnic society. It is not difficult to see why Yang won the prestigious Micheal L. Printz award for this clever story. This title is currently available in our library. Happy Reading! (  )1   SturgisPublicLibrary | Nov 3, 2009 |  Crawford, P. (2006). American Born Chinese. School Library Journal, 52(9), 240. Retrieved October 28, 2009, from Article Citation database. Karp, J. (2006). American born Chinese. Booklist, 103(1), 114. Retrieved October 28, 2009, from Article Citation database.  bwilson | Oct 28, 2009 | Challenging read; lots of threads come together. ( ) LynnMK | Oct 24, 2009 | Graphic Novel - Manga Book Review Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. 2006. First Second Books: New York. Genre: Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, Graphic Novel Themes: Asian American, Comic, Graphic Novel, Humor Age / Grade Appropriateness: 12 years and up / 7th grade and up Awards: Harvey Award Nominee, Printz Award, Eisner Award, ALA Great Graphic novels for Teens, National Book Award finalist, Cybils Award Censorship Issues: Racism, Rude Humor Art style (Describe the artistic style) Cartoon style-The drawings are very detailed. The book also has a lot of background pictures-hidden pictures. Plot Summary (Summarize the plot in 250 words or less): This book is a graphic novel that tells about three different character’s stories. All three stories seem to twist together in the novel. One of the stories is about Jin Wing who is a middle school student that moves to a new school that is predominantly white. He tries so hard to fit in with the white students. He has nothing to do with the Asian student that attends there. The second character Monkey King is very unsatisfied and longs to reach the “status” of a god. The third character is an American high school jock named Danny. He is highly embarrassed of his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee that visits him every year. After his cousin’s visit, he has to change schools because of his embarrassing experiences. Critique (Consider if the book fits the bill of a YA book as we have discussed /read. Include your opinion of the book here as well): This book fits the bill of Young Adult books because it is told on a young adult level. It also keeps a reader interested because there were three different characters and three different stories combined in one. This story can be related to many young adults because it involves young adult characters. I am not a big fan of manga, but it opened me up to a new good book. The story was a little hard to follow, but once I got past the mythology lesson, I understood the plot. Curriculum Uses (Possible uses in the classroom / school library / public library): I think that many boys would really like this book; it would be great for entertainment. This book could also be used in an Art classroom to study the artsy illustrations. It could also be used in a mythology class. (  ) bridgetb27 | Oct 22, 2009 | I have said before that I am not a huge fan of graphic novels, but this is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed. Three different stories, each featuring characters who are unhappy with who they are--Jin Wang, a lonely boy who wishes his classmates would accept him, Monkey King, a Chinese folk hero who sacrifices much in his quest to be accepted as a god, and Danny, an American teen who is tortured by the yearly visits of his stereotypically annoying Chinese cousin--intertwine in this clever and moving gem of a book. Readers of all cultural backgrounds will find common ground with Jin Wang and his struggles to fit in. Highly recommended. (  ) mrsdwilliams | Oct 17, 2009 | 
 School Library Journal Review Starred Review. Gr 7 Up Graphic novels that focus on nonwhite characters are exceedingly rare in American comics. Enter American Born Chinese, a well-crafted work that aptly explores issues of self-image, cultural identity, transformation, and self-acceptance. In a series of three linked tales, the central characters are introduced: Jin Wang, a teen who meets with ridicule and social isolation when his family moves from San Francisco s Chinatown to an exclusively white suburb; Danny, a popular blond, blue-eyed high school jock whose social status is jeopardized when his goofy, embarrassing Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee, enrolls at his high school; and the Monkey King who, unsatisfied with his current sovereign, desperately longs to be elevated to the status of a god. Their stories converge into a satisfying coming-of-age novel that aptly blends traditional Chinese fables and legends with bathroom humor, action figures, and playground politics. Yang s crisp line drawings, linear panel arrangement, and muted colors provide a strong visual complement to the textual narrative. Like Toni Morrison s The Bluest Eye and Laurence Yep s Dragonwings, this novel explores the impact of the American dream on those outside the dominant culture in a finely wrought story that is an effective combination of humor and drama. Philip Charles Crawford, Essex High School, Essex Junction, VT Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information
Amazon.com (ISBN 159643208X, Hardcover)Indie graphic novelist Gene Yang's intelligent and emotionally challenging American Born Chinese is made up of three individual plotlines: the determined efforts of the Chinese folk hero Monkey King to shed his humble roots and be revered as a god; the struggles faced by Jin Wang, a lonely Asian American middle school student who would do anything to fit in with his white classmates; and the sitcom plight of Danny, an All-American teen so shamed by his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee (a purposefully painful ethnic stereotype) that he is forced to change schools. Each story works well on its own, but Yang engineers a clever convergence of these parallel tales into a powerful climax that destroys the hateful stereotype of Chin-Kee, while leaving both Jin Wang and the Monkey King satisfied and happy to be who they are.Yang skillfully weaves these affecting, often humorous stories together to create a masterful commentary about race, identity, and self-acceptance that has earned him a spot as a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People. The artwork, rendered in a chromatically cool palette, is crisp and clear, with clean white space around center panels that sharply focuses the reader's attention in on Yang's achingly familiar characters. There isn't an adolescent alive who won't be able to relate to Jin's wish to be someone other than who he is, and his gradual realization that there is no better feeling than being comfortable in your own skin.--Jennifer Hubert (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:02 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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