American Born Chinese

A deceptively simple graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese is a triptych of stories, all of which revolve around the idea of assimilation. One is about a Chinese-American student struggling to fit in to a predominantly white school; one is about an "all-American" kind of kid who's mortified by the behavior of his Chinese cousin, who's almost literally a walking ethnic caricature; and the third is about the Monkey King and his struggle to be accepted by all of the other gods. That's an odd collection of stories, ranging from the realistic to the absurd to the supernatural, and yet, thanks to Yang's beautiful artwork, the three work perfectly together, allowing the pieces to reflect off of each other and interact in subtle ways before eventually letting them come in a fairly surprising way at the novel's climax. Taken at face value, American Born Chinese is engaging, funny stuff; it's a trio of great stories, and although they connect eventually, each story has more than its share of joys on its own terms, from a painful first date to a gloriously weird martial arts battle to a party amongst the gods in heaven. But there's a greater richness to American Born Chinese than just the sum of the parts, creating a tapestry about what it's like to feel excluded because of who you are, the pressures of conformity, and how fitting in can ultimately hold you back. Sometimes that's done through simple symbolism, as when the Monkey King finally discovers how to free himself from his prison; sometimes, it's more complex, as when we finally see Danny (our all-American) confront his cousin. It's a novel whose accessibility and simplicity belies its complexity and richness, and whose bright and colorful art belies the thoughtfulness that goes into every panel and every choice. It's perfect for adolescents, not just of Asian-American descent, but any of them who've struggled with acceptance, fitting in, and what it's like to stick out in a crowd - in other words, almost every teenager ever.

I felt prepared to hate the graphic novel American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. Why? Because satire is a tricky business; not everyone gets it. And for those who don't, what is meant to ridicule can instead promote. Case in point, the 1970′s sitcom All in the Family was intended to ridicule prejudice, but some viewers missed the point and saw Archie as a champion of American values rather than as a myopic buffoon. Having now read American Born Chinese, I better understand its success among fans and critics. Despite a fantastical and so less than satisfactory end, I found the graphic novel interesting and funny.

You need to understand that American Born Chinese interweaves three stories: an adaptation of Journey to the West, a Chinese classic featuring the legendary Monkey King; a sitcom parody that stars an extreme Asian stereotype; and a realistic story of a Chinese-American adolescent who balances his friendship with a recent Chinese immigrant with his infatuation with a Caucasian girl. Each chapter follows one of these stories, which are tied together in the conclusion.

My least favorite of these stories is the parody. Main character Chin-Knee has squinty eyes, black braids, talks weird, and knows Kung-Fu. He also knows all the answers in school, embarrasses his cousin in front of a date, and is annoying every time he steps onto the page. The author writes in his blog, "There is always the danger, of course, that by making a comic book about Cousin Chin-Kee I'm helping to perpetuate him, that readers will take his appearance ... at face value. I think it's a danger I can live with. In order for us to defeat our enemy, he must first be made visible." I have mixed feelings. For the intended audience of older readers, Yang might have a point. Maybe the best way for society to move past prejudices and embrace diversity is to uncover and acknowledge our biases. But what if younger viewers are already moving past these prejudices? If the goal is to eliminate prejudice, why dredge up dying stereotypes?

My second favorite story is of the Monkey King. Would this be the case if I hadn't read a modern version of Journey to the West? I don't know. There is a risk that if one doesn't understand the original story, the humor could fall flat. For me, I laughed a lot at this version of the stone monkey who wants to be a deity, but gets repeatedly told that he can't. After all, um, he's a MONKEY! The twist in the first chapter about him is priceless, when the monkey king retreats from his monkey subjects because of their monkey fur smell only to discover that he can't escape his own smell. In subsequent chapters, the tale diverges from the version I read of Journey to the West, perhaps because Yang (as he says in his blog) "replaced the story's Buddhist underpinnings with Christian ones, drawing from" his own faith. However, I don't find his version particularly Christian, but rather feel it promotes a positive message about self-acceptance.

My favorite story is the most realistic of the three, even if it's yet another repackaging of boy-meets-girl. Yang draws on personal experience, and perhaps this helps elevate the story above the well-worn cliché. Jin moves to Mayflower Elementary School and immediately faces prejudice, even from well-meaning teachers who introduce him as being from China even though he was born in America. When a fellow student shares his parents' generalization that all Chinese people eat dogs, the teacher awkwardly comes to Jin's defense by saying, "Jin's family probably stopped doing that as soon as they came to the United States." Wow! As Jin's story unfolds, other false beliefs are uncovered. We also see Jin struggle with his racial identity as he resists the popular assumption that he should be friends with the only Asian girl, and even finds himself wanting to beat up the next Asian newcomer. Eventually, the story moves into romantic territory (when Jin falls for a white girl) while still directly dealing with prejudice. On its own, perhaps, the story would feel too "in your face." Or maybe not. In either case, we'll never know because Yang eventually chooses to intertwine the three stories in a fantastical twist that involves the stone monkey.

Humor works or it doesn't. For me, it worked most of the time in American Born Chinese. Yang's version of Monkey King was far more enjoyable for me than the action-packed one from DC Comics. While I often felt shocked at the terrible way Jin was treated, I also enjoyed reading about his more pleasant moments. Despite my not caring for the conclusion, I did appreciate the message about learning to be oneself. Over all, I'm glad that I took a chance on American Born Chinese and will be interested to see future stories from Yang.

This was my first foray into a graphic novel. I keep hearing about them on different podcasts and had seen them in book stores, of course, but never picked one up to try. My daughter brought one home as their first assignment in her AP English Class so I decided to give it a whirl.

I thought it told a good story with a lot of insight into prejudices. It was interesting to pick up on other nuances through the illustrations. Was it something that hooked me on being a graphic novel reader? Not necessarily, but my daughter loved it & is now a fan.

I had to read this as the required graphic novel for my YA Lit class, and found it a very quick, engrossing read. It takes three seemingly unrelated stories and ties them all together near the end in a very surprising way. I think the tying-together of all three stories was the most brilliant part of the book.

My favorite of the three tales was the story of Jin Wang, who moves from San Francisco's Chinatown to a new school in suburbia, where he's one of only three Asian kids. Two months after he moves, the Taiwanese Wei-Chen Sun arrives and they become best friends. This story was by far the best-developed and the most interesting.

The Monkey King's story was my second-favorite, since I love ancient mythology, though I could've done without some aspects of it, like the crude humor and violence. The Monkey King wants to be respected and recognized as equal to all the great deities and sages, but no matter how hard he tries, everyone still sees him as only some monkey.

The story of Danny and his cousin Chin-Kee had me cringing. As much as I appreciate a good spoof and satire (something which I feel isn't done enough in modern-day literature), the character of Chin-Kee was just so over the top and stereotypically drawn and depicted. I've seen more flattering portrayals of Chinese in old movies, in the days when white actors had to pretend to be Asian! A little goes a long way in an effective spoof or satire. I really could've done without the exaggerated accent, buck teeth, and slanted eyes. And why are we supposed to believe a modern Chinese person, even from a traditional village, would be walking around in clothes and a hairstyle no one wears anymore?

In spite of some of the troublesome areas, I loved the drawings and all the attention to detail, particularly in the story of the Monkey King. (Though I also couldn't help noticing that Amelia switched from a lefty to a righty, and there was no cast on her arm making a handedness switch understandable. I'm surprised the editor didn't catch that error.) Overall, it's a well-depicted story about the importance of being true to yourself.

As a professor of Chinese, I purchased the book to see if it might be appropriate for a freshman seminar on "Being young in Asia." Unfortunately, I learned that the author had altered the background of the very popular Journey to the West story. Instead of a trip to India to procure Buddhist sutras, it became a journey to Bethlehem to present gifts to the Baby Jesus. Instead of Buddha imprisoning Monkey under a mountain sealed by a Buddhist mantra, the lesson is being taught by an old man brandishing a shepherd's staff whose name is Tze-yo-tzuh (自有者 ziyouzhe in pinyin, literally "I am that I am," from Exodus 3:14, the proper name of God). While this is an interesting cross-cultural lesson in its own right, it is not appropriate for students from China. We will not be adopting the book for our class.

I was introduced to Yang through the book Level Up, which I ended up liking quite a bit. This one is the big award-winner, and I should have followed my instincts and started with this; it's easily one of the best standalone graphic novels that I've ever read.

American Born Chinese is a mix of three chronologically ambiguous subplots, in a style reminiscent of Pulp Fiction. In one, Chinese-American student Jin Wang moves to a new neighborhood and begins to attend a new school, where he is desperate to fit in. The second chronicles the fable of the Monkey King, a powerful demigod who believes he has earned a place at the table with the other Chinese deities. The third is in the style of a sitcom (complete with laugh track) and follows high school student Danny, as he tries to contain the social fallout from the yearly visit of Chin-Kee, his stereotypical Chinese cousin. All three stories twine together in a twist ending that speaks to racial identity and self-acceptance.

This book is light in tone and often hilarious, but it is also unflinching in its look at how young people can internalize racism even from seemingly innocuous sources. Yang blends mythology with high school drama, and it doesn't for a moment seem weird. In fact, the three different plot threads mesh beautifully together despite being fully realized in their own right; nothing seemed incomplete or out of place. The ending is a bit contrived, but still satisfying. The art is beautiful, and the panel layout is clear and occasionally clever (especially during the Monkey King sequences). Yang does some very interesting things with color and with small details to reflect shifts in the story.

Honestly, I can't find anything bad to say about this book. It's a go-to selection for anyone looking for a good standalone comic, and an object lesson against anyone who claims that comics can't be literate.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang won the Printz Award in 2007. Before picking up this book, I had never before read a graphic novel, so I didn't quite know what to expect. I was hopeful though, because I had been hearing a lot of really great things about it. So, what did I think?

I was pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed reading this as a graphic novel. The illustrations really added a lot to the reading. I don't know why, but I expected the illustrations to be a nice addition to the story, but not necessary to the story itself. I started reading it that way to, giving the illustrations only a cursory glance. It didn't take me long to realize that I was missing a lot of the story that way, so I slowed down and gave each page of illustrations as much attention as I gave the words. And all I can say is, Wow! It amazed me how much emotion and action you can get across to the reader in one small frame. That one illustration is able to convey an emotion or message, thought or feeling in just seconds, while it would have taken several sentences or a paragraph to give that same feeling using only words.

I really liked the graphic novel aspect and will definitely be searching out more in the future. However, I had also heard a lot of positive comments from people who simply gushed about this book. This was harder for me, because I didn't love this book the way so many others seemed to. The book uses three seemingly unrelated storylines to tell us our story. It begins with my favorite of the three, the tale of the Monkey King. He becomes a master of all sorts of Kung Fu, but is unhappy because the other gods will not accept him as an equal, no matter what he does, because he is a monkey, not a man. Next, we meet our main character, Jin Wang. He struggles to find his place, just wanting to fit in and be accepted for who he is. The final storyline (and my least favorite) is young Danny and his cousin Chin-Kee. Danny is the all-american high schooler; good looking, basketball player (bla bla bla) while Chin-Kee is the epitome of the negative Chinese stereotype.

The three stories are told individually, and at first there doesn't seem to be any connection between the three. As we approach the end of the book, the three story lines do pull together to create one larger story. I really liked the idea of pulling all three story lines together, but didn't love the way it happened. Almost all my disappointment in this novel revolves around the Danny and Chin-Kee storyline. I just feel that I missed a little bit of what they were actually trying to say. I understood the message and the importance of that segment, but there are a few details left over that weren't really clear to me. I don't want to ruin the ending, so I won't specify but a little more clarity would have been nice. A few things at the end just seemed to happen. Almost like they popped out of nowhere. (I'm looking at you Wei-Chen) Some of it was just a little too much for me to comfortably grasp, and I wasn't really able to give it the necessary suspension of disbelief in its entirety.

Overall, I must say that I did really enjoy American Born Chinese. It was a very interesting glimpse of what it must be like to grow up different from everyone around you, especially when it's very likely they already have a preconceived (negative) notion about you. There are a lot of life lessons hinted at in this book that many people would do well to learn.

American Born Chinese consists of three tandem narratives. A second generation immigrant and the only Chinese-American student at his new school in a predominantly white area, Jin Wang just wants to be a typical American boy. The immortal Monkey King is a proud kung fu master who is trying to become more than just a monkey. And all-American Danny is embarrassed by his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee, who puts every Chinese stereotype into loud, off-putting action.

As I read along, I wondered what, if anything, these storylines had to do with each other. Were they merely different perspectives on common themes, since all three addressed issues such as racism and intolerance? When the connections between these three narratives were revealed: wow! I was stunned. An entirely new and profound layer of understanding opened up for me.

I loved the artwork and the message of this one. Though aimed at grades 7 and up, it's a great selection for adults as well. It's an incredibly fast read, so it would be a nice pick for a read-a-thon.

American Born Chinese is three interwoven fables. Jin Wang is a middle-school student at a new school, and he becomes friends with a F.O.B. Taiwanese boy named Wei Chen. Danny is a white boy with a really, really, really annoying Chinese cousin named Chin Kee. And watching over all of them, in a way, is the Monkey King. His story is the strongest of the novel, which is about remaining true to yourself, as, of course, are the other two.

When American Born Chinese came out in 2006/2007, it was lauded as not only one of the best comic books of the year, but one of the best books of the year. I've heard people say that great books aren't funny; they're clever. This book is clever in how the stories match up, how the characters grow, and how the overall story progresses. I cannot think of anything bad to say about it. *****

Yang's graphic novel illustrates the struggles of young Chinese immigrant carving out a place for himself in America. The trials Yang's hero Jin endures are to be expected: racist humor from Jin's peers, self-hatred, and a deep desire to eliminate the qualities that make Jin stand out. The way Yang approaches these trials, though, are refreshingly unique. He introduces Chinese mythology and classic American media stereotypes of the Chinese to Jin's narrative and integrates them to draw Jin out of his liminality.

I have a superficial interest in the novel, since I faced similar prejudices (and still do, I suppose) as a Japanese-American. If I had a nickel every time I heard, "I thought you people were supposed to be good at math," or, "Why didn't you become a doctor?" or, "Are you still mad we beat you in the war?" or, "Hey, this menu is all in Chinese, but Jillian can read it," or, "Damn, Jillian, you have a lot of cousins" while walking through Chinatown, I could pay for plastic surgery to become white. Just kidding. But it's this kind of complex that Yang's characters are threatened by. Jin doesn't find a solution to fix all of his problems, but he does find courage and self-respect to help him recover from the wounds made from racism and from self-hatred.

I recommend this book to anyone who has endured this kind of liminality, anyone who loves graphic novels, and everyone who thinks they're not being racist saying s*** like I listed above.

(Check out my review blog at [...])

I found this graphic novel to be a compelling and entertaining read - at times funny, at times poignant and even bittersweet. American Born Chinese is a graphic novel that has three storylines. Initially, these three storylines appear disparate but they are all inter-linked and this connection becomes more apparent as the plots progress. In the first storyline, the Monkey King, a beloved character in Chinese mythology becomes incensed when he is ridiculed and humiliated at a Heavenly Dinner Event for not wearing shoes. The Monkey King proceeds to master the twelve disciplines of Kung Fu and becomes very powerful. He uses this new power to impress the other Chinese Gods of his strength and talents, until he meets the ultimate Creator, Tze-Yo-Tzuh.

In the second storyline, readers are introduced to Jin Wang, a first generation Asian American who despite being born and bred in the United States, finds himself feeling like an outcast at school. He can't seem to fit in, and faces prejudice from some of his classmates. A few years later, Jin Wang is befriended by Wei-Chen Sun, a recent immigrant from Taiwan, and the pair bond over a common love of transformer robots. The pair become best friends, but this friendship is sorely tested when Jin Wang falls for Amelia, a Caucasian classmate, and tests Sun's loyalty.

The third storyline revolves around Danny, an apparently all-American boy who seems to be quite well-adjusted until he is visited by his cousin from China, Chin-Kee. Chin-Kee is the stereotypical Chinese man who mispronounces words, behaves rudely, and generally embarrasses Danny at school, to the extent that Danny feels he needs to transfer schools again. At a certain point, the connection between all three seemingly separate stories becomes apparent, and the central theme of learning to accept one's self is made clear. The graphic novel format makes all three stories easier to comprehend through the well-drawn visuals, colored by illustrator Lark Pien.

The primary theme of learning to accept one's self is underscored throughout the three plots, and well-conveyed by the three main characters. It is only by accepting their given identities that these three characters are able to truly feel happy and content. The style of writing reinforces this with simple yet effective language. Given the graphic novel format, there is not a lot of text, but the combination of words and visuals enable readers to become engaged with the story, and makes this graphic novel a unique and interesting read which will especially resonate with a young adult audience.

"One bright and starry night, the Gods, the Goddesses, the Demons, and the Spirits gathered in Heaven for a dinner party."

This book, told in Graphic Novel format, contains 3 separate tales:

The first tale is the legendary Chinese fable of The Monkey King. The Monkey King was the ruler of all the monkeys on the Flower-Fruit Mountain. When the Gods were having their dinner party, he tried to attend. But because he was a monkey (and didn't wear shoes) he was denied admittance. This changed the Monkey King. He was embarrassed by it, and decided to change himself. He required all monkeys to wear shoes. He studies the 12 disciplines of kung fu to become more than just a monkey. In fact, he transforms himself into a different type of deity all together.

The second tale is about Jin, an American-Born Chinese. His parents immigrated from China and met in college. Jin's mom told him the reason she chose to marry Jin's father. "Of all the PhD. students at the university, he had the thickest glasses. Thick glasses meant long hours of studying. Long Hours of studying meant a strong work ethic. A strong work ethic meant a high salary. A high salary meant a good husband." When Jin is 9, his family moves out of Chinatown, and Jin has to start a new school. Where he is different; the outsider. He suffers from bullies and bouts of embarrassment over his culture.

The final tale is of Danny, the American boy that has a Chinese cousin, named Chin-Kee. Chin-Kee is the epitome of a negative Chinese stereotype. He has buck teeth, a thick accent, and even eats cats. Danny is so embarrassed by Chin-Kee's yearly visits that he has to switch schools every year.

What can be said about this beautiful little book that hasn't already been said?? It truly is a masterpiece. We follow Jin through grade school, where he befriends the student, Wei-Chen, who has just arrived from Taiwan. At first, Jin tries to ignore the other student, but when the two boys start talking about toys (Transformers), they soon become best friends.

The 3 stories eventually come together, all related in a surprisingly beautiful ending. It is basically the story of loving the person that you are. And if you try to change yourself to fit another's persons image of how you "should" be, then you will eventually lose yourself. It sounds deep, and it is. But it is told with a light-hearted humor and really great pictures. Just a small example:

"The only other Asian in my class was Suzy Nakamura. When the class finally figured out that we weren't related, rumors began to circulate that Suzy and I were arranged to be married on her thirteenth birthday. We avoided each other as much as possible."

Not only is this a wonderful tale that highlights the pain of stereotyping and racism, but also teaches a lesson on self-appreciation and self-awareness. An incredibly quick read (I was finished in about an hour), American Born Chinese is absolutely a must-read. Warm, heart-breaking and yet uplifting, this is one book that I can not truly recommend enough. And for anyone that ever says Graphic Novels are just "comic" books, I think you have a lesson waiting for you. A true 5 Star read!!!

Three seemingly different characters, three different storylines, but one idea that brings them all together into one tale. The first character that we meet is the Monkey King who wishes to be a god, but finds that sometimes the best way to get to the top of the pile is to be at the bottom. Jin Wang is a lonely Asian American middle school student, who only wants to fit in with his white classmates. But what will he be willing to give up to make this happen? Lastly we meet Danny, a typical American teen, who is so horrified by his Chinese Cousin Chin-Kee (a painful, but necessary stereotype for this tale) that he is forced to change schools after Chin-Kee leaves. And then...the characters lives begin to interweave together in a way that in the beginning we would have never imagined.

Gene successfully weaves together three distinct tales and surprises us in the end with how they work together. And along the way he shatters some rather painful stereotypes and helps us understand that there are hidden depths to everyone, regardless of how well they "fit in" with the cultural norm...and that self-acceptance is more important than fitting in. The characters are easy to recognize and relate to, because who among us hasn't felt lost at some point at being the new person--whether at school, sports team, church, work or even just in a the down home restaurant where no one knows your name. The panels are centered in the middle of the page, with clean white space surrounding them, which helps the reader focus on what matters...connecting with the characters. Outside of Chin-Kee, you can easily imagine all of the characters sitting next to you--whether at school, on the bus, at work, or on the sports field.

I'd recommend this book to anyone, because we've all had trouble fitting in somewhere at some point, and while this book won't solve all of the problems...it may just make you feel a bit better about yourself.

I'll admit, after hearing countless good things about American Born Chinese, I had very high expectations. I'm a teacher and was looking for a graphic novel my students might like when this was suggested to me for my lower level readers. I picked it up the other night and 40 minutes later I had finished it.
American Born Chinese intertwines three different stories: The Monkey King, Jin Wang, and Chin-Kee. The Monkey King is a legend from the Song Dynasty; Jin Wang is a young Chinese boy, born and raised in America, struggling to fit in; finally, Chin-Kee's story is told almost like an old sitcom, complete with laugh track at the bottom of each cell. He is the Asian stereotype to taken to the extreme. Each of these stories is a similar tale of lack of self-acceptance and an attempt to fit in by being who we are not. These characters need each other in order to learn how to be comfortable being who they are.
This graphic novel would be great for middle school aged kids or low-level readers. The theme is classic for that age group, but almost overly predictably so. Many students who read it love the humor and the images. Personally, I didn't find it that funny, nor did I find it to be that exciting. The stories are pretty simple, despite being intertwined at the end, and there were no big twists. As I said, I read it in 40 minutes. There just wasn't enough going on for me to be drawn to.
I recommend this book for middle school kids and ELLs.

What can I say about American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang which has not already been said? I suppose if you haven't read this Printz-winning graphic novel, I could try and sum it up for you. Basically there are three stories which interweave. There's Jin Wang who is the new kid at a school where he's the only Chinese-American student. There's the story of the Monkey King. And then there is the story of Danny, a high school kid who is plagued by his cousin Chin-Kee. Eventually the stories interweave in a twist I totally did not see coming. Perhaps this is because I am the queen of oblivious.

Right-O. Out of the three interwoven stories, I enjoyed the plot line of the Monkey king the most. The monkey king starts the book, and well he's all pissed off and angry because he was thrown out of a party for not wearing shoes, although the real reason he's tossed out is because he's a monkey. Yeah, so he's really mad about not fitting in. Raise your hand if you've ever felt like you didn't fit in. I think we've all been there. It's something universal to connect to. Also, I spent an unequivocal amount of time laughing while reading the monkey king's storyline. Perhaps this is because I have the humor of a 12 year old boy. Perhaps it is because Gene Luen Yang is legitimately funny.

This is the part where I should state some things about the other plot lines. Okay, so the plot line of Jin Wang, the new kid. Well on Jin Wang's first day, his teachers mess up his name, they introduce him as being from China, and his classmates are jerks. I feel like the classmates are always jerks. Perhaps this is a teen hormonal thing? I wonder if I was an jerk in high school. Ah, I digress. Well, Jin Wang makes some good and bad decisions. He's kind of a DB at times, but the type we cheer for because we want him to succeed. He's basically just like a real middle-schooler. (He's in 7th grade, I think). Oh, and there's a girl. I shall remain mum on that part though.

Next up, is Danny the white high school boy with a cousin. Yes, we all have those embarrassing relatives. Personally, I have more than my fair share (love you all, but seriously did you need to appear on Judge Judy?! I wish I was kidding). Anyways, Danny's cousin ChinKee is basically the most stereotypical Chinese caricature. You know those negative images of Chinese you have from old movies, with the teeth and the queue? Well, that's ChinKee, and surprise he's really great at school. Oh and he performs a homage to William Huang of American Idol Fame. Obviously, Yang has a point with ChinKee. And I think you need to figure it out for yourself while reading this magnificent book.

The art inside is full color, which I can appreciate after perusing black and white mangas. I'd say the art is relatively simple, it's not beautiful like most manga, but it's not too comic-booky. Like it's not Alan Moore comic book type. There's a few action scenes with onomatopoeias. (I never thought I would use that word in the real world, see kids education will help you blog with big words!) Oh and the pages feel glossy, so it's a fun book to pet. Also, for a full color graphic novel, the price tag is only 8.99 according the back cover, so it's really cheap for a graphic novel. I would definitely pick it up if you collect graphic novels and Printz winners and YA books and PoC books.

While reading American Born Chinese, I recommend drinking jasmine tea. OMG it's so good and if you have a friend or something going to China, implore them to pick you up some. Or, I think you could just get it at the grocery store. Either way, a delicious Chinese tea, for a fabulous reading experience. And if you dislike this book, it'll only take about 3 hours of your life to read. Not too bad considering time you've probably squandered on other books.

American Born Chinese is a graphic novel that has three stories that are told in parallel. the first involves the fable of a monkey king disciplined in the ways of kung fu. the second is of the American born Chinese boy Jin Wang and his Taiwanese friend Wei-Chen. and the third and final story is of Danny, an all-American boy who is visited by his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee.

through each of the seemingly unrelated stories, we see each character's solitary need to identify with peers, to shed their cultural stigmas and become individuals. as the monkey king tries to stubbornly deny the fact that he is a monkey and is instead a god, and as Jin Wang shuns his Asian friends for fear of negative association, we see the struggles of culture and race from very different, yet similar perspectives. personally, as an American born Japanese individual, i could relate to some of the themes and appreciated the simplicity and humor in the presentation.

the writing style is very simple and clear, making it appropriate for nearly all ages. and although there are three storylines, the intention of the book is singular. through the merging of the three stories, this book delivers a powerful message of tolerance and truth to self. and bonus, it's packaged in the cute and often hilarious wrapping that Yang provides.

the best thing about American Born Chinese, hands down, was the graphic art. the vibrant colors and cartoonish artwork really brought the story to life and there was much to appreciate, even in the absence of text.

altogether, this might have to be my favorite of the five Printz winners that i have read. that being said, i was a little surprised to learn that American Born Chinese beat out The Book Thief to win the award in 2007, since i absolutely ADORED Zusak's writing. regardless, i think this is very much a worthy book that packs a powerful punch of themes and imagery. highly recommended!

"American Born Chinese"
by Gene Luen Yang
(First Second Books, 2006)
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This deft, fast-moving, semiautobiographical graphic novel is a multi-layered memoir in which an American-born Chinese man (Gene Luen Yang) examines his childhood past as an Asian student in a white-dominated suburban school, bringing remarkable honesty and clarity to his inner struggles as he attempts to find himself and to assimilate. These goals are often at odds, and bookending the grade-school narrative is an enchanting retelling of the Chinese myth of the Monkey King (a symbol of potency and recklessness) and a parallel storyline about "Chin-Kee," a vicious amalgamation of centuries-old racial caricatures. The Chin-Kee character is both disturbing and laughable... Chin-Kee looks and talks funny -- buck-toothed, small, dressed a cartoonish "Asian" outfit, transposing his Ls and Rs, bowing low while lusting after "pletty" white women. That these stereotypes could persist to the current day is as surprising as the power they still hold. The Chin-Kee plotline is framed as a television sitcom (eerily similar to the CW's "Aliens In America") where an embarrassing Asian relative visits his white American cousin Danny and even attends his school, which shames the cousin and crushes his social life. It isn't until the end of the book, when Yang merges the three stories, that we realize that it is Danny who the narrator sees as an alter-ego, not Chin-Kee. Although this book has a strong sense of humor, Yang's exploration of ethnic identity, social pressure and self-loathing is powerful and rings true. He explores deep themes without hitting us over the head with a hammer -- this would be a great book to use in a classroom setting, and is sure to provoke good strong discussions. (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain book reviews)

This story is very nice. It properly addresses the ideas of being new to an area you are not familiar, but it also deals with the problems of racial identity. The only problem is that the book has three different stories: A myth, a television show, and a down-to-earth story about the previous sentence. Now that itself is not the problem, the problem is that they somehow tie the three stories together, not in a metaphorical sense, but in a LITERAL sense. Aside from that, the story truly deserves its 4 stars.

Jin Wang was born in San Francisco to parents recently arrived from Taiwan, so he grew up surrounded by his peers -- until Third Grade, when the family moved to a new city and suddenly he's the only Chinese kid in the school. A year later, Wei-Chen Sun arrives (F.O.B -- fresh off the boat) and the two boys almost automatically become best friends. You get the feeling there's a fair amount of the author/artist's personal growing-up experiences in this graphic novel, and that part of the narrative is pretty well done.

However, there are also the intermittent adventures of the Monkey King of Flower-Fruit Mountain, and that part is much less so. It's a heavily re-imagined version of the classic "Journey to the West" story. So, the art is nice, and the completely expected thing about friendship and the lessons of growing up is okay, and this book -- Yang's breakthrough title -- also won a number of awards from education and library organizations. So why isn't it more successful as a whole work? I even reread the book, looking for whatever I missed. Must just be me.

Gene Luen Yang's insightful and incisive look at racism and self-acceptance is fully deserving of the accolades it has received and is a legitimate candidate for best graphic novel of the year.

Yang deftly weaves three seemingly unnconnected stories -- the fabled Monkey King who wants to be a god; Jin Wang, the only Chinese-American student at his school, and his attempts to fit in; and Chin-Kee, the jaw-dropping Asian stereotype (complete with his own laugh track), who shows up every summer to embarass his white American cousin, Danny -- into a powerful, modern parable that's accessible to all ages and cultures.

On the surface, it's an empowering spin on the classic tale of the ugly duckling, with an emphasis on self-acceptance over finding one's place in society. Underneath, though, it's a surprisingly subversive indictment of the concept of cultural assimilation, aka the "melting pot".

The Monkey King's efforts to become a god and Chin-Kee's appalling adventures in humiliation seem, at first, to fit awkwardly in the midst of Jin Wang's more straightforward coming of age tale, as Yang alternates between each one a few times, never tipping his hand as to how they intersect until the very end. His visual presentation holds the three stories together, with clean, crisp and colorful images, while his square layouts -- revealing its webcomic roots -- only take up 2/3rds of a page but never feel compressed. (Or decompressed, for that matter.)

When it does all come together, it has the same effect as when a magician successfully pulls off "the prestige", to the sheer delight of the audience.

My copy of American Born Chinese sports a nice silver "National Book Award Finalist" sticker on its cover, a unique and distinctive honor in the comics field, one Yang should be incredibly proud of receiving, and the rest of the industry should be aspiring to. For First Second, it's nothing less than the crown jewel in a first year of publishing that has been remarkable by any measure.

"American Born Chinese" by Gene Luen Yang is a coming of age graphic novel that explores a Chinese-born adolescent that grew up in America. This novel tackles racy issues such as racism, young love, bullying, and anxieties that immigrant children of the east face in a western world. The main character Jin begins a new school as the only Asian student. Jin is soon joined by a student from Taiwan that becomes his closest friend. By the end of the story Jin has morphed into a different person and the author even mutates his character image to appear more Americanized. Yang uses a truly unique approach at a thesis through metaphors and imagery with the help of supporting characters that are Chinese gods. There is a very spiritual tone set through the parallel of the Monkey King and the main character of Jin both coming of age. The end result is both the Monkey King and Jin must return to their original form in order to understand how they fit into the world. This novel was one of the most interesting graphic novels I have studied in my writing class. The artist/author uses excellent transitions between panels and motion throughout the novel very well. In the end Jin realizes its better to be as one is made, as the monkey king says, "I would have saved myself from five hundred years' imprisonment beneath a mountain of rock had I only realized how good it is to be a monkey" (223).

Finalist for the National Book Award and 2007 Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award for Young Adult literature, AMERICAN BORN CHINESE is one of the most acclaimed graphic novels to hit the shelves. Three seemingly different stories weave together at the end for a satisfying finish.

STORY #1 - The Monkey King of Flower Fruit Mountain attends a party but is refused entrance because he isn't wearing shoes. This rejection spurs a quest for identity and power that leads to martial arts, battles with the creator of the universe, and a very long curse.

STORY #2 - Chinese American boy Jin Wang has moved to a new school and wants to fit in. The friends he makes and the girl he pursues help solidify the feeling he has that he is different and might never assimilate. He and the new boy Wei Chen Sun bond over Jin's Transformer toy, highlighting the proverb that "it's easy to become anything you wish, so long as you're willing to forfeit your soul."

STORY #3 - Danny's cousin Chin-Kee comes to stay with him and attends his school for a couple of weeks. The conflict he brings is one of the funniest parts of the novel. Answering all the questions in class, peeing in friends' drinks, eating dead cats for lunch, and speaking with the stereotypical accent are just the beginning.

A modern fable of greed, pride, and belonging, AMERICAN BORN CHINESE is worth the quick read. While I'm not convinced it deserved honors above THE BOOK THIEF or THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING: TRAITOR TO A NATION, the award does give credence to graphic novels as a valid literary genre. It's a solid book, an enjoying read, and a welcomed addition to the young adult literature.

--- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens

the best surprise of the most recent trip to the local bookstore was the graphic novel "American Born Chinese" by Gene Luen Yang. First of all, this paperback was beautifully designed and put together. As I was flipping through the store's modest graphic novel selection, "American Born Chinese" dang near leaped off the shelf at me, and once I opened the book and caught a glimpse of the beautiful cartoony art, it went on the "buy" pile.

"American Born Chinese" tells three stories of three seemingly unrelated characters in three genres: A slice-of-life biography of a young Chinese-American boy who seeks the heart of a pretty American (i.e. 'white') classmate, a sitcom-styled tale (complete with laugh track) about an all-American teenager whose life is ruined by the annual visits of his obnoxious Chinese cousin, and the martial arts fable of the Monkey King, an ambitious ape who masters the twelve disciplines of kung fu in his quest to take his place among the gods.

All three tales are essentially about the price we are willing to pay to be accepted, but it is in how Yang ties the stories together that we see how our own self-loathing can affect others. The art in the book is what drew me in. Do-It-All cartoonist Gene Leun Yang is a master of the deadpan cartoon style and cool color palette he employs, which makes it look like a children's book and an avante garde graphic novel at the same time. When I initially grabbed the book, I had no idea what it would be about, But when I flipped through it and saw how Yang depicted the Monkey King's story, which is both cute and violent at the same time, I knew it was worth what I was paying!

Yang shows a real grasp of balance in American Born Chinese, in that he manages to deliver wisdom without sacrificing entertainment value. He switches genres frequently, with each chapter alternating through the three advancing storylines. There was never a point where I felt confused or lost as a reader. He effectively uses humor to soften the blow of addressing the painful issues associated with self-loathing and racism that make them boring topics when handled by writers of lesser skill.

anyways, "American Born Chinese" was published in 2006, and has won tons of awards and accolades, but I never heard of it. So I apologize if you've already read a million reviews and message board posts about it, but if you missed it like me, I think you oughta get your hands on a copy and give it a try!
holla!
-samax

This book is a truly stellar contribution to the graphic novel genre. Jin Wang's coming-of-age story is pitch-perfect in its attention to visual detail as well as its "feel" for adolescent dialogue. Not content to tell this story "straight," Gene Yang introduces two other narratives -- those of the legendary Monkey King and of the sitcom characters Danny and Chin-Kee -- to add multiple layers of meaning to Jin's struggles to fit in.

It shoud be noted that, even though Yang balances three stories (which ultimately converge) in this book, Jin's story serves as the emotional core of the novel. The Monkey King's and Chin-Kee's stories represent different poles of Jin's identity as a Chinese American -- extreme, identity-negating self-reliance, on the one hand, and extreme, caricatured self-hatred, on the other. The novel does a brilliant job of drawing us into the world of a teenager who engages these extremes as a matter of "growing up Asian American" -- a paradoxical subject of repulsion and desire, exclusion and belonging.

Don't get me wrong, though: while Yang's themes are undeniably powerful, his writing is just really, really funny. The Monkey King is raucously self-involved; Chin-Kee is both sad and strangely self-aware of his own caricaturedness (i.e., his "kung fu" moves are all named after "Chinese" dishes, like "Mooshu Fist"), and one scene involving Jin, bathroom soap, and his love interest Amelia had me in stitches. Which is to say it's nice to see that important themes of identity and cultural belonging can be explored in such a playful manner.

Credit to Yang, then, for not taking himself so seriously, and for giving us a profound meditation on "growing up ethnic" that looks, sounds, and *feels* right.

The value of any novel is based on its ability to have a strong, lasting impact on the reader. In addition, how much the novel entices one to reread it creates a formula of a masterpiece. I can easily say that American Born Chinese fits this description easily; so much so, that it was impossible for me to put it down the three times I read it, each of which I discovered new details that I had overlooked the previous times.

At first glance, American Born Chinese looks like a children's comic book. A couple of pages in however, it becomes apparent that this book has much to offer. The first major aspect that hit me was the humor, which was clever and genuinely made me "lol". The main story itself is divided into three, seemingly unrelated ones: The Monkey King, Jin, and Danny. As the novel progresses, the three stories appear to be drifting farther apart from each other until a pivotal moment in the end. This moment is tantamount to an epiphany of the most epic scale. The way the three stories finally blend is a remarkable work of art, one which deserves the audience of everyone who loves a good story.

Besides the structure of the actual story, the universal issues presented in American Born Chinese are ones most people can easily relate to. Identity, stereotypes and peer pressure are just a few. The amazing attention to detail is what sets this graphic novel apart from others. Subtle details which seem to not have any value turn out to be pivotal and rewarding once discovered.

Before I run out of energy pouring my praise for this novel, I would like to cover what I considered the least important aspect of American Born Chinese. The artwork and color of this novel is simple and lively, providing a stable platform for the incredible story. Emotion and motion are presented very simply and effectively, offering no room for confusion or misunderstanding for the reader. American Born Chinese is an absolute must read!

We are living in the peak time for the graphic novel genre and it is artist/writers like Gene Yang that are leading the charge. American Born Chinese is an award-winning clever little graphic novel by Gene Yang. Yang tells three parallel stories which all culminate with an interesting climax, and he ties them together in a meaningful way at the end.

There have been a bevy of very good novels and movies about the experience of American-born kids of immigrant parents lately. They are full of drama and richness of experience - imagine not only the generation gap, but layer on top of that the vast cultural differences between American Suburbia and "the old country."

Yang tackles this subject in such a heart-warming, smart way, that I'm convinced this work of art is autobiographical. He puts a modern twist on a Chinese tale of the Monkey Buddha that is universally known among Chinese kids. He tells a tale of a young American Chinese boy, struggling to understand his identity - is he Chinese? Is he American? He writes with "Wimpy Kid" edginess and smarts, but adds subtlety and grace. If a young adult reads this book, the message will not smack him in the head, but rather sink in, surreptitiously, more deeply.

This book is a must-read for Chinese American kids, American Kids, and all of their parents. It works on all levels with a universal message to all. If you are a monkey, be happy that you are a monkey.

American Born Chinese
Gene Luen Yang
Legendary fiction

American Born Chinese is an easy read in comic book form that starts as three different stories and becomes one. The first is a young American boy named Jin Wang, whose parents are Chinese. He is an outcast who does not have many friends. The second story is about his cousin Chin-Kee who lives in China and visits Jin once a year. He is the exaggerated Chinese stereotype: eating cats and peeing in cokes. The third is an old Chinese myth about the monkey king. The monkey king has been embarrassed and tries to be someone he is not.

The legend's moral is: be true to yourself and kind to others. This relates to my life because sometimes at school someone feels they are not liked by a group of people. They will try and become someone they are not to fit in. They will even act mean to others who are not popular. The book points out that to transform like this costs you your soul.

I like the author's writing style because it is different and fun to read. It caught my interest quickly and the pictures gave me a better understanding of the story. I think that in this comic book style of writing the author can better express himself than in any of the more formal writing styles.

I enjoyed this book because it reminds me that I should not be anything but myself. I liked the illustrations because they were very inventive. One of my favorite parts was when the little monkey was wearing the shoes on his ears. I would highly recommend this book to people who like mythology, who like comics, and who love monkeys.

As a relative newcomer to the graphic novel genre, I'll say upfront that my review probably won't 'cut the mustard' for diehard fans of the genre! That being said, I was blown away by the power and message of this novel. It is a poignant story, one which really opened my eyes to the immigrant experience of someone like the character Jin, who is born in the US but whose parents come from another country. This novel is structured well, and relates to the reader three different (apparently unrelated) vignettes, which eventually intersect in the story's conclusion (in a way that is skillful, rather than cliched). I liked the simplicity of the illustrations, which were vibrant and colorful, but were done in a way that seemed to reflect the written narrative very well. This would be an excellent read for young adults (14 and up, I'd say) and adults alike. I'd recommend this to fellow readers in a heartbeat, both to anyone who already reads graphic novels and enjoys them or to someone who might be looking for their first foray into this diverse genre. "American Born Chinese" made quite an impression on me, and I highly recommend it.

American Born Chinese by Gene Yang was the Printz Award winner for 2007. It's been sitting in my pile for a few months now, even though I was told it would take me no more than an hour to read. All the reviews I read about this graphic novel have been very positive, and I must agree it is a masterpiece.

But, as usual, I have a different viewpoint to bring to this discussion. We all have filters we view the world through, and this is also true of the way we approach media, whether it be books, movies, poetry, etc. My Christian faith is a large filter for me, and it impacts the way I view books.

American Born Chinese is a story told in three separate stories that eventually converge. Remember Holes? Louis Sachar did the same thing. The three plotlines came together in surprising ways that add to the enjoyment of the story. It is part of the mystery of the book.

In plotline one, Jin Wang has started a new life in a new home and a new school. He struggles to fit in with his new classmates who only see his differences. His classmates focus only on the negative stereotypes they have heard about the Chinese people. He is mocked and picked on, and the only friend he can find is a bully who threatens to make Jin eat his boogers if he won't share his food. I found myself cringing a little as I remembered a classmate that was in my elementary school. His name was Nguyen Ly, but later on he changed his name to an American name. Now I understand why he wanted to do that. It is hard to be different. One more important aspect to this story is that Jin loves his transformer robot. One day, he wants to be a transformer himself.

In plot two, the King of the Monkeys is angered when he is turned away at a party for being a monkey. No matter how much skill he acquires, he is belittled for being a monkey. In his anger, he beats the tar out of multiple people using his kung fu skills. Finally, he receives a visit from the great Tze-Yo-Tzuh, a god, who encourages the Monkey King to accept his role in life and to take enjoyment in that role. Be proud you are a monkey, he seems to be saying. The Monkey King won't listen and is "punished" for his refusal.

In plot three, a teenage boy named Danny feels humiliated everytime his cousin Chin-Kee comes to visit him. Chin-Kee goes around at Danny's school seemingly encouraging all the negative stereotypes people have towards Asians. He has buck teeth, can't correctly pronounce his l's and r's, and just makes a fool of himself.

First, the technical elements: The artwork is amazing. Each drawing contains amazing colors and good use of frames to create motion and time. Also, the author uses a creative device that shows us when a person is speaking in a language other than English. The text is written in English but the quotation is surrounded by angular parentheses. This way, the reader knows the speaker is not speaking English, but we can still read the conversation.

One thing no one has pointed out is that many of the speeches made by Tze-Yo-Tzuh are taken directly from the Bible. Most of it is from Psalm 139. This is the passage where it talks about God knowing us completely, when we get up and when we lie down. We cannot escape him. I am linking the whole chapter in this for anyone who wants to read it.

What I got out of this story is that God created us each to be something, and he does not make mistakes. We can fight against it, but we usually just hurt ourselves. I am thinking of a very dear friend of mine. He is a wonderful person, but has been fighting God for years.

*Spoiler alert.*

When the monkey was fighting and striving, he was always angry and never got what he wanted. It was only by accepting his role in the world that he found himself. And notice his role was unselfishly giving of himself to help others. And the reason I put punished in quotes above is that I don't really think the god in this book punished the Monkey King out of anger. I believe he did it for his own good to lead him to the truth. Tze-Yo-Tzuh tried everything before he buried him in a mountain of rock.

Please don't think I am immune to the cultural implications of this book. When we see the cruelty with which the world treats Jin and his friends, it is heartbreaking. I hope people will read this work and re-think these stereotypes. But I also know that stereotypes exist, and you can only change yourself. Jin, the Monkey King, and anyone else who is discriminated against cannot wait for the world to change in order to find the happiness we all deserve. We must each act with integrity and take joy in the roles we have been given in this world, whether they are received with praise or hostility.

In a traditional Chinese fable, the Monkey King, no longer content with his lowly origins, studies Kung Fu and aspires to become a god, while the gods themselves, unhappy that an outsider has tried to emulate their glory, seek to punish him. Yang cleverly modernizes this tale by interweaving its themes of pride and disillusionment with the experiences of Jin Wang, a young Chinese boy who moves to America with his parents. Although Jin tries to fit in at his new school, he encounters xenophobic attitudes from his mostly white classmates. Like the Monkey King, no matter how much he tries to shed his Chinese identity and take on an entirely American one, he finds that his heritage is always close behind. This poignant and moving tale examines the unique experiences and troubles of duel-heritage children in America. It was the first graphic novel to win the American Library Association's Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, and also a finalist for the National Book Award. Recommended for Ages 14-Up.

When I first heard mention of this book, I had no idea what it was. I was just intrigued by the title, being an American Born Chinese myself. It was already checked out at the library, so I was on the wait list. When my turn came up at the Library to borrow this book, I saw it was in a graphic novel style, and wasn't quite sure what to make of it (it's not a genre I would typically chose to read).

This book is sheer brilliance. There are three different stories that seem to be completely separate, but are woven together masterfully at the end. Also, you do not need to be Chinese, Asian or any distinct ethnicity to read and appreciate this book (though it may hit closer to home for some of us who actually grew up as American Born Chinese to Immigrant Parents). Ultimate, the moral of the story is timeless and applies to everyone, and that is to accept who you are, THE WAY YOU WERE CREATED. Ultimately, you will be happier being yourself than trying to be someone else. It's an oft-repeated theme in many forms, but the way it was brought together in this book was poignant and ultimately uplifting, but not overbearing or sledgehammer-like as done in some stories.

Also, this is classified as a young-adult literature. Of course young adults will appreciate this, but it's not exclusively for young adults, though the main characters in two of the story threads are High School age, so the young adult readers should relate well to the teenage angst pictured by the characters. This book is appropriate for all ages, and it's a quick read. I enjoyed it enough that I plan to purchase this book for my personal collection, and make sure my children have a chance to read it when they're older!

Gene Luen Yang's book shows multiple strokes of brilliance! This book is well deserving to be a recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature from The American Library Association as well as a National Book Award Finalist.

Even if you're not normally a reader of graphic novels, Ethnic-centered stories or even young adult literature, I recommend American Born Chinese! It was a great read with a universal message appropriate for all.

This book is a success on so many levels, it's hard to know where to begin singing its praises. Given its format, maybe I'll point out that Gene Yang's craftmanship and artistic skills are top-notch; he has strong lines and great layouts.

But of course, even the best-drawn comic can still be banal, which is where the congruent plot lines and emotional honesty of AMERICAN BORN CHINESE come into play. Yang tackles racial stereotyping and issues of ethnic identity in a personal way which is much more appealing and thoughtful than the ultra-ironic hipster stance of someone like Sarah Silverman. And while it all leads to the hoary theme of being comfortable in one's own skin, the lead-up (read-up?) to this revelation is well worth your time.

Sidenote: I see that a previous reader is outraged by this book's mixture of Chinese deities with Christianity (the latter sullying the former), and felt ripped off in the process. ("It should have been titled 'American Born Chinese Christian.'") So I will point out that while this book is not pious in any way, Gene Yang does work at a Catholic high school.

Yang brought me back to all the awkwardness of growing up Asian in America: being ashamed of my allegedly odd-smelling, funny-looking lunches; crushes on blond-haired, blue-eyed "All-American" boys; and trying to speak a new language while struggling with debilitating shyness. Yang also reminded me of the Chinese fables I learned through watching random CCTV (mainland China broadcaster) Journey to the West episodes dubbed in Vietnamese. I never really related to the mischievous and egocentric Monkey King, but Yang captures him wonderfully in both words and images. I love the two-paneled scene where the Monkey King changes into his giant form as the Dragon King sits on a throne laughing at him. In the second panel, the Monkey King steps on the Dragon King, "STOMP!" and the text box reads: "The Dragon King was convinced." The entire book is filled with these visual and verbal nuggets of the painful and ridiculous: Jin Wang's misadventures in dating, the Monkey King's comeuppance and "test of virtue," and cousin Chin-Kee's mortifying antics.

Yang is a master at creating real characters and situations within a graphic genre featuring limited text (some pages are completely text-free) and hilarious caricatures of what it means to be Chinese. Ultimately, American Born Chinese is a story about self-acceptance and true friendship. I'd recommend it to anyone who can relate to Jin Wang and Danny's experiences, or anyone interested in a good laugh, a great story, and entertaining art.

Gene Luen Yang's low-key but heartfelt American Born Chinese seems to tell three stories at once: the traditional Chinese fable of the Monkey King; the young life of a son of Chinese immigrants; and the story of a blond-haired, blue-eyed high-schooler whose mortifying Chinese cousin visits every year.

Yang brings creative personal touches to each story: his pithy retelling of the Journey to the West (the original novel is over 2,000 pages long) presents a wonderfully sympathetic Monkey King. The third story is done in the style of a sitcom, complete with a cheesy laugh track (you didn't think a comic book could have a laugh track? It can). And through Jin Wang, the protagonist of the second story, Yang shows the anxieties of youth with painful clarity.

As the book progresses, it becomes clear how the three stories are in fact integral to each other, and work together to advance Yang's simple message of self-acceptance. "American Born Chinese" is eloquent, not only about a specific cultural experience, but about struggles--and hope--common to us all.

~

I have read several books on the "Asian in America"-theme, from Gish Jen's Mona in the Promised Land to Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club, but none have impressed me as much as Yang's truly brilliant comic "American Born Chinese." From the opening page I realized this wasn't going to be the story I had been expecting. It was going to be much more.

"American Born Chinese" starts off with a dinner party of the Gods in Heaven, who refuse to allow the Monkey King in to join the party; even though he is a king and a deity, he is still a monkey, the Gods say. He doesn't even wear shoes. After a brief and action-packed kung-fu battle in Heaven, the page suddenly turns and we are grounded in reality, with a young boy named Jin Wang being torn from the protective environment of Chinatown and thrust into the harsh world of Elementary school. Jin is bitter, and hates the only other Asian student, a girl named Suzy Nakamura. He doesn't want to stand out. He doesn't want to be Asian. And when the new exchange student from Taiwan Wei-Chen arrives and tries to be friends, Jin just wants to punch him in the face. And just when I thought, "Ah, here is the real story!" I flip the pages again and meet Danny, a popular white suburban high schooler whose life is destroyed by the arrival of his Asian cousin Chinkee. Buck-toothed, queue-wearing, and completely offensive, Chinkee is the living embodiment of every ethnic joke and stereotype of the Chinese for the last century.

Of the stories, I though initially that Jin's had the most depth, and that Chinkee and the Monkey King were just thrown in to add comic relief or shine a harsh light on racism, but as I read on I realized that those characters had just as much to say as Jin. Chinkee was the hardest to tackle, but I found myself a bit ashamed when he started singing a rhyme that I well remember laughing at from my own childhood ("Me Chinese. Me play joke! Me go pee pee in your Coke!") My friends and I used to sing that on the playground, never even thinking of the impact it might have had on the Asian students around us. And the Monkey King...his story turns out to be much more than just a bit of Anime and folklore inspired action-relief. The Monkey King is a fable of a cold truism told in this comic; it's easy to become anything you wish, so long as you are willing to forfeit your soul.

"American Born Chinese" is nothing short of brilliant. Even if you are not Asian, or have no connection to Asian, there is a deeper moral here we can all understand. How much of our selves do we sell to fit in? What is this envy that eats away inside of us and makes us want to be something different than what we are, and how much are we willing to sacrifice in order to keep up that perpetual masquerade? Jin knows. The Monkey King knows. And, it turns out, even Chinkee knows. Great, great stuff.

I liked the weaving of Chinese mythology with the modern-day story of a first-generation American. It ended kind of abruptly for me, and there were some threads that felt unresolved. But the overall message of being proud and true to who God made you to be, regardless of what others say or how they treat you, is a powerful one.

American Born Chinese conveys a powerful message of self-acceptance, through a coming of age story, featuring a character horrifically isolated from his peers by his race and perceived cultural differences. In these things, American Born Chinese succeeds. The parallels between Jin and the Monkey King's story are smartly established, but the book would have been better had it kept them separate. The unusual turn into magical realism at the end is unexpected and powerless to the narrative. The book is also surprisingly brief, with many pages only featuring one or two panels, and dialogue is usually safe rather than inspired. All of this adds up to a final product that's honestly nowhere near the caliber I was expecting given the rave reviews. On top of that, there's this unusual subversion from Chinese myth into Christian themes throughout the title, which isn't a problem narratively , but was notably distracting. There's actually a scene in here where The Monkey King shakes hands with baby Jesus. By the end of the story, my enthusiasm had pretty much deflated. Still, in some respects, this was a meaningful read, and if you're interested, I would still encourage you to check it out.

Earlier this year I reviewed several other graphic novels (comic books made into a book form), most of high quality in every way, including content. This one is all that and more--it's earning honors already.

The National Book Award is one of the most prestigious awards in literature and American Born Chinese is the first graphic novel to be nominated in any category in its 57-year history--and has just been selected as one of the 20 finalist. The book has also been nominated for Best Book for Young Adults and has received praise from Scholl Library Journal.

This inch-thick, 235-page graphic novel consists of several separate stories that seem disconnected until the very end.

The themes are:

-- Jin Wang is the new kid and the only Chinese-American student

-- The ancient fable of the Monkey King

-- Chin-Kee, the ultimate negative Chinese stereotype

Jin has a new Chinese-American friend, who when Jin gets angry at him, he calls him a FOB (fresh off the boat) because his friend's speech and mannerisms are more Chinese than American. Jin is embarrassed by his friend (the other new kid) because Jin wants to "fit in."

The modern fable is hilarious, poignant and action packed.

The bullying and name calling, the desire to fit in (and what one might do to make that happen), interracial dating and prejudice, parental expectations of old-world ideals--and many can relate to these feelings and situations.

Children and teenagers who are "different" from the others will appreciate the message of having friends, loneliness, becoming accepted, stereotypes, prejudice, parental expectations--what so many deal with.

Armchair Interviews says: Gene Luen Yang is a talent we'll hear more of.

Honestly, as I leafed through AMERICAN BORN CHINESE, I thought that the graphics showed talent, but were uninspiring; the page I happened upon was relatively weak in plot and character choice (though I certainly was taking it out of context); and I thought that when I eventually read the whole thing, I probably would not think it was as good as it could be.

Perhaps my impression of graphic novels was shaped by Japanese or American graphic artwork and story, and that's what I was expecting.
Perhaps I wanted this book to be more adult in its tone than a kid's comic book.
Perhaps I wanted grit, style over substance, or a story that starts with a POW! and never let's go.
Perhaps my first look didn't seem impressive because I was expecting something that this book was not.

Regardless what I was expecting or wanting, AMERICAN BORN CHINESE succeeds in a way I didn't think possible, even when I was halfway through it! This healthy book tells three Chinese-based stories in alternating chapters: the first is about the Chinese legend of the Monkey King; the second focuses entirely on a young Chinese-American boy who feels out of place in his American school; the last is a "sitcom" (complete with laugh-track) about Chin-Kee, the ultimate in tasteless Chinese stereotypes.

Funny, simple and beautifully paced, these seemingly separate stories really begin to grow on the reader about halfway in through smart and honest humor; artwork that is limited in scope, but faultless; and a marvelous structure that shows true ability in telling a complete story that merges all three separate tales in the end in an amazingly profound and memorable way.

What at first seemed trite became endearing, which, in turn, was transforming -- transforming my misplaced expectations; transforming my perceptions of graphic storytelling ability; and transforming what is possible when an artist really understands that "transforming" IS a possiblity.

This a great addition to the middle school library by all means, and a revelation to those who think they have seen it all. Gene Luen Yang is a real storyteller.

I found this book in the free book pile at the local library while I was raiding it for books to sell on the store. I was decided to read it on a few pages on a whim thinking "oh just another book asian american book." and found myself reading it in about an hour or two. It was good. I am a 30 year old asian american of mixed herritage(Japanese, Chinese, Korean.) One of my complaints about asian american literature is that it is almost always related to race and cultural identity and I don't always relate to it since most of my family has lived in america for generations, is multi-ethnic and pretty americanized while lots of the literature deals with second or first generation experience. Maybe it was the fact that it dealt mainly with racism in school and set roughly around the same time as when I was in school(kids playing with old school transformers) but it turned out that I could identify with a lot of the stuff that was written in the book. Not everything since im not full abc, but the general experiences of racismm and the underlying identity issues were accurate. In a few instances it made me laugh and even brought back memories I had almost forgotten.

While I am pretty skeptical of asian american literature, and often gripe that there should be more asian american works that have asian american characters without focusing on race and identity issues, i liked this book. While there are the same silly, campy nuances and styles common among all asian-american themed plays, stories, etc... I thought the message of the book was good: "One must accept oneself in order to be at peace."

My only critique of this book was that I felt the end was resolved a little too quickly but overall it was cool.

This is simply the best graphic novel I've read in along time. Gene Luen Yang weaves three tales in a character study that illuminates Chinese tradition, racial stereotypes and problems of Asian-Americans in our melting pot society.

The three stories tell about a young boy who moves to a new school where he's subjected to prejudicial bullying, the mythical Monkey King -- a major figure in the Chinese story "Journey to the West", and a teenager embarrassed by visits from his totally stereotypical cousin. By the time I was halfway through, I knew I liked Gene Yang's writing and drawing -- a lot. Not only did the stories grab me and pull me in, not only did he create believable three-dimensional characters, but he gave one of the best and most accessible retellings of the story of the Monkey King that I'd ever encountered. It wasn't until I started writing this review that I found Yang's online tribute to the artistry and influence of Osamu Tezuka. Interestingly, for his day job, he teaches computer science in a Catholic school. This guy's a real talent; I'm going to look into getting his other works for our public library's collection.

American Born Chinese won the 2007 Michael Printz Award for a book that "exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature." Highly recommended.

At first glance, American Born Chinese book by Gene Luen Yang looks like a children's comic book until you begin to read it. The illustrations really added a lot to the reading. There are three seemingly different characters, three different storylines, but one idea that brings them all together into one tale. The first character that we meet is the Monkey King who wishes to be a god, but finds that sometimes the best way to get to the top of the pile is to be at the bottom. Jin Wang is a lonely Asian American middle school student, who only wants to fit in with his white classmates. But what will he be willing to give up to make this happen? Lastly we meet Danny, a typical American teen, who is so horrified by his Chinese Cousin Chin-Kee (a painful, but necessary stereotype for this tale) that he is forced to change schools after Chin-Kee leaves. And then...the characters lives begin to interweave together in a way that in the beginning we would have never imagined.

Yang successfully weaves together three distinct tales and surprises us in the end with how they work together. And along the way he shatters some rather painful stereotypes and helps us understand that there are hidden depths to everyone, regardless of how well they "fit in" with the cultural norm...and that self-acceptance is more important than fitting in. The characters are easy to recognize and relate to, because who among us hasn't felt lost at some point at being the new person--whether at school, sports team, church, work or even just in a the down home restaurant where no one knows your name. The author uses a lot of picture-to-picture and duo-specific (McCloud)in this book.

Personally, this was a great read and would appeal to any audience. As previously mentioned, there are aspects that will appeal to teenagers struggling with self-acceptance amongst their peers and different races that try to fit in. In my English class, we actually acted out the characters which helped all the students gain a deeper perspective of the storyline and its characters.

JDominique

This book is outstanding in the fact that it is funny, attention-getting, attention-keeping, and equally addictive. It is a graphic novel and can be read fairly quickly and the stories in it keep you form putting the book down. American Born Chinese gives an in-depth look at what it's like to feel out of place and the common struggles that teenagers face not only because of cultural differences, but because of daily life struggles of self-acceptance and with feeling accepted by your peers. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

As the title reads, this fiction is centered on a Chinese who is just simply trying to fit into this world of discrimination and bullying, and also where love is a sudden strike. The story not only hosts a single storyline, but a multiple of them which eventually come down to a single ending. A lot of people claim there are three perspectives of this story, but I say otherwise: one for Jin Wang and other for the monkey king. Know, most of the people will say that I missed Danny's POV, but to be truthful, Danny is actually Jin Wang. The ending development of the "Danny" storyline and "Jin Wang" storyline both confirm that Danny is indeed Jin Wang and I personally think it is very, very confusing. I mean, what could be more confusing? You are looking through a Chinese's viewpoint of school life, and you just at the end, turn into a European? (Spoiler!) And then you realize that the ridiculous storyline with a distant cousin's annual visit to "Danny" was actually Jin Wang's future.
I personally enjoyed all the art and the drawing of this comic book, but personally I didn't enjoy the storyline that much, due to its confusing twist.

A powerful graphic novel, this award winning book explores issues such as friendship and stereotypes. Told as three intersecting stories, the fast paced novel provides a unique perspective on life as an "American Born Chinese". I hope this wonderful graphic novel encourages others to use sequential art for this type of quality storytelling for young adults.

Gene Luen Yang's colorfully illustrated graphic novel weaves three distinct stories together depicting his experiences growing up Asian American. The first stars the Monkey King, folk hero of Chinese legend; the second recounts the struggles of a Chinese-American boy trying to fit into a predominantly white suburb; and the third is a sit-com starring everybody's favorite racial stereotype, Cousin Chin-Kee.

Tweens, teens and adults will enjoy the book on different levels. I asked a thirteen-year-old boy to read it and give me his opinion. He thought it was interesting and funny. The plots were easy to follow, however, he did not perceive any deep spiritual message in it. I enjoyed reading it also and could appreciate the plot twists and how the author took a traditional Chinese tale and stories from the Bible and made them his own. A great book to start spiritual discussions from.

This book has won multiple awards including the Michael A. Printz Award, Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year, and was a National Book Award finalist in 2006.

Students love graphic novels, it’s simple to understand and it’s interesting to look at pictures rather them look at words. American Born Chinese is a great graphic novel that is written by Gene Yang. He had chosen the new generation of the Chinese immigrant as his topic. The author has focus on Jin Wang’s daily life as he trying to fit in to the classmate in America. Also Gene Yang has used the character from the most famous Chinese novel Havoc in Heaven which is the Monkey King. The author borrows many detail from Havoc in Heaven which have brought back many memories of my childhood because most Chinese grew up with this story. There are two story lines : one is Jin’s life and another one is Monkey King. Both are trying to fit into their assigned society. Somehow the two stories have the same purpose and they are telling the same story, which is of an outsider trying to fit into another society. They both had a hard time fitting in. For example, Jin struggled to fit in completely because of the way that he looked. He looks Chinese amid many white classmates. Monkey King has a look like a “monkey”. He went to heaven and attempted to live there. However, like Jin, he was rejected because of the way that he looked.
American Born Chinese is a very interesting story and it reflects the life of some one who has a different genetic thread. This inspiring story examines the path that would one take to survive and embrace a society that is different than their own. Both Jin and Monkey King prove heroic as they embrace their sense of self and discover their true essence.

This book is an incredibly interesting weaving of three stories that when I picked it up I did not expect two of them at all.
Initially, the Monkey King seems apart from the main thread with Jin Wang. Then the section with Chin-Kee shocks and holds a mirror up to all of us who assume to know what the life of one we other is like.

The threads come together, but I have a feeling that this book isn't about the Monkey King, Chin-Kee, or even Jin Wang. I think it's about Gene Leun Yang.

We were given American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang as an assignment for English 1102. My first impression was shear confusion. There were a lot of different things happening that did not come together until the end. It is still interesting as far as the thesis and presentation of the book. You have to dig to find the thesis and how it runs through the multiple stories. Understanding that you need to be what God made you is common in a lot of books but his integration of Eastern and Western religions was interesting. It really showed his influences growing up.

Perhaps the most humorous part of the book was the play on racial stereotypes. Those chapters set in an almost sitcom format. His representation of his cousin just further showed the extent to which he wanted to fit in. Like I stated before it does not correlate too well through the beginning of the book but towards the conclusion the thesis and reason for the stereotype became clear.

The techniques used in this book are interesting, most notably, the imagery. His use of the monkey king, the stereotyped cousin, and the blonde kid can be confusing, but if you read in to what he is saying it all pieces together well. All in all, as far as graphic novels go it is a good read that challenges you. It will not stop me from reading my novels but for an in class assignment it was good trying to piece the puzzle.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang is the first graphic novel I've read. I read it for the Book Awards Challenge II. It won the Michael L. Printz Award in 2007 and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. It is the first graphic novel recognized by the National Book Foundation. American Born Chinese starts out by telling three stories. The wonderful illustrations were colored by Lark Pien.

* The first is the story of The Monkey King. He wanted to rule, but he didn't want to be a monkey.

* The second story is about Jin Wang, a young boy who was born in America to parents who immigrated from China. Jin Wang never feels like he fits in with the American students he goes to school with.

* The third story is about Danny, an All-American boy who is embarrassed when his Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee comes for his annual visit.

The stories don't tie together until the end of the book. The book is about learning to live with and accept who you are. It was a very quick read. I think this book would really appeal to young males. While this was a fun, fast read, I don't think I'll be picking up another graphic novel anytime soon. I appreciate how much work went into the drawings, but they just weren't enough to justify the price in my mind.

This beautifully produced graphic novel contains three storylines which come together in a well-constructed final chapter. The first storyline concerns the classic Chinese tale of the Monkey King (Sun Wukong) and his egotistical quest to become a god above all others. The second storyline is a about a Taiwanese-American kid raised in San Francisco's Chinatown who moves with his family to the suburbs. There he tries to fit in at his new elementary school, and goes through the usual loneliness of the outsider, endures bullying, makes friends with the other two Asian kids, and falls in love with a pretty white girl. The third storyline is delivered as a tasteless sitcom about an all-American high-school boy whose life gets turned upside down when his bucktoothed stereotype of a Chinese cousin comes to visit. Although the tone is very different in each storyline, they all have something to say about being different and coming to terms with one's identity, and the way they morph into a single climax at the end is quite clever and effective. It's a nice book to give any kid who's struggling with trying to find their place in the nasty world. The artwork is very clean and simple, with traditional lettering, crisp colors, and very simple paneling (which is nicely framed by generous white space above and below). The printing is beautiful and the paper and binding is top-notch.

American Born Chinese is a graphic novel that cleverly takes readers through a journey that combines three storylines and three characters into one idea. The stories merge into a single narrative that looks at stereotype, immigration, and assimilation. The graphic novel interweaves Chinese mythology with the American Dream. Students are sure to enjoy the images and text through the quick moving stories. Teachers will find the book surprisingly useful as a springboard for discussions about discrimination, tolerance, stereotyping and immigration.

This was an amazing book, I absolutely loved it! It is an easy read but there is so much meaning in it. I enjoyed having the three story plots with the different characters. This graphic novel was beautifully designed and it made it easy to keep up with it. The language was easy to read and the plot was very interesting. This book also brings up many great themes such as friendship and family, however, there is some scenes that might be considered age inappropriate so it is important to take this into consideration if you are trying to bring it into the classroom.

I am new to graphic novels (comics). I am one who always thought comics were for children. Wow, was I mistaken! I must give thanks to my English 1102 professor for my enlightenment. I've now been exposed to several graphic novelists and find that Gene Luen Yang's "American Born Chinese" ranks high on my list. This was a FANTASTIC read! There are three tales being told that may seem a bit confusing at first. However, the author has a great way of intertwining the stories in the end through the common character flaw of "forfeiting their soul to be something they weren't meant to be." I'm sure most of us have struggled with this at one point in our lives, as each of the three main characters did, which makes these stories so relatable.

The stories touched on issues like feeling like an outsider, wanting to be accepted, racial stereotyping, derogatory name usage, betrayal, and challenging morals and values. There is a strong religious undertone weaved into the stories also.

Yang shows emotion and motion in this comic through his characters' facial expressions and body positioning. Yang's use of color gives the comic a bright and happy feel. Overall, American Born Chinese is a work of ART!

American Born Chinese is a book written by Gene Luen Yang, a great writer; it's an auto-bio fiction novel that talks about a little boy who came from China to America and wanted to change his identity. It had three stories, that later linked to one another at the end of the book. The book had a good usage of emotions, transitions, motion, and word/picture combination.
Emotions were used in the book with mostly facial expressions, and this was very interesting. An example was where Greg told Jin that he could not date Amelia because he wasn't good for her, he felt really bad. Transition was more of Action-to-action, subject-to-subject, and scene-to-scene. An example of Action-to-action is the scene with Tze-Yo-Tzuh (he represented God) and the monkey king, who did not want to accept that he is a monkey.
Word/Picture combination, Yang is more of duo-specific. That is, he uses both pictures and words to send the same message. Also, he is picture specific because in some parts of the book, there are some pages that just show pictures without words, for example, where Jin and Amelia went on a date, he came back from the bathroom and kept is hand on her shoulders. He used lines to describe motion; an example is where he fought demons to save Wong Lai-Tsao, who told him about his freedom. That is pretty much what is in American born Chinese.

"American Born Chinese" is a creatively woven tale of many diverse and compelling characters. Each, in their own way, speaks to those struggling to find their identities and embrace their own special brand of uniqueness. Gene Leun Yang takes his readers through a labyrinth of tales and brilliantly weaves them together. The overwhelming theme of this tale, "it's easy to become anything you wish...so long as you're willing to forfeit your soul." (p.29) is prevalent throughout. Readers will be taken on a wild ride with the Monkey King, laugh with Chin-Kee, admire Wei-Chen, and empathize with Jin. Each faced with their own trials and tribulations,and carving their own unique path to self-discovery.
This is a story for the reader who is seeking substance and a raw human experience. Yang touches on many diverse issues, such as ethnic stereotypes, and eloquently conveys the direct emotional impact. A beautifully illustrated and wonderfully written story that is rich with emotion and filled with characters sure to identify with readers from all walks of life. If you have ever faced adversity, if you have ever felt self-doubt, and if you have ever struggled with coming to terms with who "you" really are, then this is a story that will speak to that part of you, and inspire you to embrace yourself, warts and all.

great. how the author balances three storys at the same time(my fave story is the monkey king one.) but you may need to read multiple times to understand, but it is tottaly worth it. very stong and the writer is a brilliant person and i also reccomend you also check out boxers and saints, two dual stoies about the boxer rebbelion, and in my opinion, boxers and saints is the strongest book ive read and is communicated in a "want to read" comic that is very intruging! get it!!!

I teach this book all the time in my classes about graphic novels because it relies on a complex narrative. One story starts up in the first chapter, then another, then another -- until the reader is challenged to track a wide range of parallel and related stories. It makes for a good read and a book that pays back on each subsequent reading. The themes of self-hatred and identity formation are nicely dealt with in this very accessible, elegant book.

"American Born Chinese" by Gene Luen Yang was given as a reading assignment in my college English 1102 course, which covered the graphic novel. "American Born Chinese" tells three stories about a Monkey King, a boy named Jin Wang, and a boy named Danny. Each characters story takes you on their journey of trying to fit in, and figure out who they are. I liked how the book jumped back and forth between each characters story. At first, I was not sure how the stories would relate but in the end I was impressed how Yang was able to pull everything together. The images in the book were vivid; they showed action and emotion which made you feel compassion for the characters. I was surprised by the character choices and the way Yang used religion to tell each of the stories. There was one particular line in the book that stood out to me; a young Wang was talking to an Herbalist she tells him "It's easy to become anything you wish ... so long as you're willing to forfeit your soul." That line had such a strong message because if you are happy and comfortable with the person you are then there is no need change. Yang had an interesting writing style that produced a positive message. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to a friend.
Jess Stephens

Three interconnected stories about being who you are, and how painfully hard that can be - especially when stereotypes chase you everywhere you go. This is the comic to read if you don't believe comics can be serious literature, because that's only one of the many stereotypes it blows away. Amazing book!

I had been skipping over the book every time I visited my local library because I just did not want to read about an Asian monkey. But I finally honkered down and checked it.

I'm so glad that I finally saw "the light". ABC is a great story about coming of age and responsibility. It teaches young adults to be themselves no matter the situation. Three different story lines that all come together in the end. A great book for any race of people. ABC is truly a classic.

A surprising interweaving of Chinese myth and legend, prejudice and self-acceptance, and the coming of age of a first generation American-born boy of Chinese descent, make AMERICAN BORN CHINESE an exceptionally entertaining and thought-provoking graphic novel.

More than halfway though reading the vividly illustrated story, I still had no idea how the three distinct and alternating tales that make up the book were going to eventually come together as promised on the flap copy.

One of the three threads involves the Monkey King, who wants to be a god and literally gets himself buried in trouble. Another is the story of Jin Wang, whose previously blissful childhood, spent in San Francisco's Chinatown, is transformed when his family moves to a very different community and Jin starts attending Mayflower Elementary School. The third thread is about Danny, a popular (and non-Asian) basketball player whose school life is annually disrupted by the arrival of his cousin Chin-Kee, who physical characteristics, dress, and mannerisms epitomize the extremes of Chinese stereotyping.

I cannot imagine a reader not being sucked into this one after the scene in which Jin gets his first hit of Mayflower Elementary. The teacher introduces him as Jing Jang (instead of Jin Wang), tells her students that he moved from China (instead of Chinatown), and then when one of the kids immediately raises his hand to tell the class that 'Momma says Chinese people eat dogs," the teacher responds, "Now be nice, Timmy! I'm sure Jin doesn't do that! In fact, Jin's family probably stopped that sort of thing as soon as they came to the United States."

I've never gotten to do a graphic novel read aloud. Now I can't wait to figure out how to make it happen. I can easily imagine assigning parts to students each day and doing AMERICAN BORN CHINESE as readers theater. (All I need now is a way to scam a class set.)

In any case, this is a graphic novel that belongs in every middle school collection.

What I liked about the book is that it tells and shares different perspective of Americans views on people with different background coming into the United States. What I didn't like about the book was that the stories didn't seem to connect with the other stories. The language of the book was appropriate. There wasn't a lot use of fowl languages. I highly recommend this book for all ages. This book is friendly read .

The story blends real situations with reference to the Monkey King, a tale that has always been a magnet for the imagination but is not always accessible. This work is what I have been looking for, and I didn't even know I was waiting for it.

I'm grateful to the author for creating a beautiful story that is true to my experience as a Chinese American growing up in suburban America. This graphic novel made me think. It stayed with me long after I put it down, and I believe it has made a difference in my life.

I recommend this book to teens and adults of all backgrounds.

An excellent read and work of art. I grew up in an American-Scandinavian setting, and I have always been interested in the experiences of Asian-American diasporas and bringings. This was a truly beautiful graphic novel. I am no expert reviewer, but it does not take an expert to appreciate this fine work. I lack words to describe its ingenuity, honesty, and beauty.

A poignant meditation on internalized racial oppression, American-Born Chinese is both philosophical and funny at the same time. Three interwoven stories are subtly presented as 'performances', complete with audience clapping at the bottom. I love this subtle graphic portrayal of the thread running through the book as a whole: the stories we tell ourselves are often illusory and can be dangerous, so it's best to remember they're stories and go instead for what truly feeds the heart.

Worth the prizes it received, it's a well written story with great artwork.

The story is exactly about stereotypes, and that's why it uses them.

Instead of running from/avoiding it, the story show stereotypes do exists, but you don't have to care about them, as they mean nothing.

Some people just plain missed the point on the story.

Yes, the protagonists "cousing" is offensive, and is a stereotype... only it was all inside the protagonists mind. He saw himself that way, when he really didn't need to. It was all part of himself.

And imigrants tend to have problems exactly like that, growing up in foreign countries where people will treat him like he was some stereotype.

Read it, and don't think too much. Sometimes people will try to extract/read things the author didn't meant, and that will really ruin the whole experience.

Recently, I sat down to read the graphic (comic book) novel, American Born Chinese. It is about the life of a Chinese-American boy named Jin who struggles with is identity as an Asian and especially as an Asian male in America.

The author Gene Luen Yang intertwined Jin's story with the legendary story of The Monkey King, and the story of a boy named Danny who is ashamed of his cousin Chin-Kee from China who comes to visit him every year. I could not put the novel down when I first picked it up. The illustrations that were used in the novel were very vivid and colorful. They brought to life the stereotypes, the pains, and the joys that the characters in the novel faced. I highly recommend for everyone to pick this book up and sit down for a fresh, exciting read.

The book is about an American born Chinese male but any Asian American can relate to the stories that are presented in this book. If you grew up in a predominately non-Asian environment then this book is for you. If you grew up in Chinatown or K-town then this book may not apply to you as much. I grew up in Redondo Beach, CA and at the time there weren't too many Asians in the schools that I went to, so much of what is in this book conveys the insecurities and ignorance that I faced growing up. This books takes what Amy Tan did with her books and brings it too a different level that doesn't require one to have a new found respect for his or her own heritage but to just be happy with who you are and not be ashamed. I related to this book in so many ways and I really really wish I wrote this instead of Gene.

This book was a very fun read. I used Amaon Prime so I received the product within two days. I will not spoil the content of the story, but you will finish reading it fast. Furthermore, the visuals were stunning and engaging. I personally liked Journey to the West, and this graphic novel did a great job portraying the story in a very comical way. In any case, delivery was top notch.

This is one of the most beautifully written graphic novels i've read. The story, focused on the cultural navigation of an 'American born chinese' boy in society is straightforward, relevant, and beautifully written in three seemingly independent, overlapping stories that fuse beautifully in the end. A pleasure to read, and the artwork (while not complex) was expertly portrayed.

Also worth noting is that Yuen also respectfully weaves elements of western and eastern tradition into his mythology.

I'm going to followup by reading this author's other work!

I bought this book after stumbling upon it on the web. I can identify well with the author, being half Chinese myself. While he is full Chinese, our experience in growing up Chinese decendant in America were not entirely different. But that's beside the point.

The story itself, from a high level, is masterful. He takes three different stories, and narrates and navigates you through their lifecycle, to.... well.... I don't want to ruin it. It's masterful, let me just say that. The dialogue is well written, the overall story is well conceived, and the artwork does a great job of conveying the emotion and mood of all of the cells. I am not typically a fan of "graphic novels", but this is a masterpiece.

I hope the author becomes ridiculously rich from this. :)

American Born Chinese takes three separate stories and braids them together. The first thread is about Jin Wang, a Chinese-American boy new to a school where he cannot fit in no matter how desperately he tries. The second thread describes the fate of the Monkey King, a power-hungry monkey who wants to human. The last thread introduces Chin-Kee, a conglomeration of every negative Chinese stereotype, who visits his cousin Danny each year and ruins Danny's reputation at school. The first of these threads about Jin Wang feels a little trite, the second story is amazing to those of us who have never heard it before, and the third story, in which the other two blend, is artful and clever and makes the reader reexamine the first story with new eyes.

This graphic novel moved me because the story hit a nerve about how it feels to be a young immigrant who longs to belong to the new country. The stories are clever, humerous, and emotionally authentic. Highly recommended read. I want to buy copies of this book to hand out to all the Chinese-American kids who are embarrassed about their Chinese part.

I am a young Asian American (just over twenty) and I thought this story was very intriguing. I was born in America and actually spent high school in Taiwan. I could however relate to racism as a Chinese kid growing up in a predominantly white suburb (palo alto). It's almost amazing what kind of cruelities can come out of kids so young. I'm surprised not more kids snap under such wanton cruelty. It just kind of shows the resilience of children.

Anyways, back to the book. It is nicely executed and I love the integration of the three stories. The writing reminiscint of what it like to be a asian american kid again and the art wonderfully entertaining and clean.

However, the conclusion left something to be wanted. The novel wants to break from stereotypes (i believe) yet one of the characters ends up as a ricer with diamond studs. I don't know, i just felt the ending could have been more than it was. So much could have been said that was left unsaid I think.

This book is many things: it is a classic immigrant story, a love/love-lost story, a parable, a personal diary, an adventure, and a lesson for finding yourself. However, it is never overwrought; it remains upbeat and active through 3 intertwining story lines. It is humorous and attractive, and it gives a lot of credibility to the genre of graphic novels. Incredibly, it is easy to read and quite gripping, uplifting and highly enjoyable.

This excellent coming-of-age-ethnicity story is a powerful example of the role of graphic novels. Its lighthearted moments - and powerful dramatic times - are all strengthened by the illustrations. The images flow into the story, and help make the experience identifiable for all people.

It was awesome.

This is one of those novels that you are upset when its over. It's so charming and real, from the story to the art, and the blend of ancient chinese folk lore with modern day story telling works wonders.

This book is difficult to rate with a single rating because it's "3-1/2" stories: The stories are about the Monkey King of Chinese folklore; American-born Chinese Jin Wang; All-American Danny and his purposefully stereotyped Chinese cousin Chin-Kee; and a "half-story" that ties the three stories together.

From the standpoint of the illustrations' style and creativity, I would give the book 5-stars.

The story of the Monkey King is very cute. At its core, it follows the traditional tales, but the author also ties in Christian themes. Personally, I liked this spin and give the Monkey King story 5-stars. But for a reader unfamiliar with the Monkey King tales and expecting to learn about him, I'd suggest 3-stars for the same reason I gave it 5-stars.

Jin Wang's story is what you'd expect based on the book's title: Jin Wang is an American-born Chinese who has to deal with teasing and discrimination at his American school. These were familiar situations I also experienced, so it echoed with me on a personal level. I give his story 4-stars.

I found Danny & Chin-Kee's story both ridiculous and painful to read, which, paradoxically, is what the author intended. It should be considered as satire or social commentary; but nonetheless, I still found it distasteful, despite my understanding of its purpose. I give it only 2-stars.

The "half-story" that ties the first three together is well-done and creatively written; I would give it 4-stars on its own, as much as one can separate it from the others.

As you can see, Danny's story is the only thing I didn't like about the book, and if one were to average my scores, the book would be higher than 3-stars. But the stories are intertwined and must be considered together as a whole: Danny's story was so ridiculous/distasteful (yet essential to the overarching story), it brings my overall score to 3-stars.

This was a wonderful book that delves into racial steretypes in ways that kids can really get! I enjoyed reading this as much as my kids!

Here's a great interview with the Gene Luen Yang in which he discusses how his book explores Asian-American identity: http://commitmentnow.com/living-a-creative-life/writing-books-for-children/features/childrens-book-illustrator-of-the-week/feature/a-graphic-novel-that-deals-with-racial-sterotypes.

This book is a book of three tales about a child (Jin Wang), a Monkey King, and a visiting cousin from Japan. During the first part of the of the book you can see that in a new place, times can be difficult. People chose to be stereotypical and treat Jin Way and his friend Wei-Chin Sun like outcasts. The monkey king learns many disciplines over time, making himself become practically invincible. Danny is a normal boy visited by his cousin who starts to ruin Danny's life. As you can see this book is a thrilling graphic novel that will take through the experiences of stereotypes and problems of people and things from another place.

Written by: Austin, Neil, Pascal, Chandler (High Tech Middle Media Arts students)

I've made it my personal quest to find a children's graphic novel that can prove to naysayers anywhere the literary possibilities of the genre. When, "American Born Chinese", was placed merrily into my hands, however, I fairly ignorant of its potential. The name Gene Luen Yang didn't mean anything to me. The style was not one that immediately leapt out at me. But I'm a sucker for a good graphic novel and this book had something going for it: The Monkey King. I love love love any stories, legends, picture books, what have you, that contain that most legendary of all gods and goddesses, the king of the monkeys himself. Lured in by the promise of some serious fantasy (as, I am sure, many kids who pick up this book will as well) I found a story about assimilation that is so brilliantly penned and carefully plotted that it rivals every notion of what a graphic novel can and can't do. Do you know someone who couldn't care less about this new format? Someone who thinks comic books can't convey the weight and intelligence of a proper novel? Thrust "American Born Chinese" into their arms immediately, if not sooner. If I were to choose a single graphic novel to grace every library's children's room nationwide, you can bet that this is the puppy I'd put my faith in.

Three storylines. Three different characters. One single idea. At the heart of our first story is Jin Wang, the son of Chinese immigrants, who just wants to fit in. He wants to date the cute blond girl in the overalls and to perm his hair. What he wants, and how far he's willing to go to get it, is the center of the story itself. The second storyline concerns the tales of the Monkey King. Not content to be merely a monkey, the Monkey King did everything in his power to become a Great Sage, Equal of Heaven. This was all well and good until he was informed by Tze-Yo-Tzuh, creator of all existence, that he was a monkey after all. It's not until the King can accept what he is that he is able to free himself from his own self-induced prison. The third storyline is the riskiest of the three. It plays out like a bad sitcom, with a kid named Danny and his cousin Chin-Kee. Chin-Kee is every horrible Chinese stereotype ever concocted and rolled into a single character. His story slowly continues until it becomes clear that the three different tales we've been reading have merged into a single narrative. And at the heart of the narrative is the idea that assimilation is a question of forfeiting your soul. A forfeit that no one should want to make.

Yang skillfully brings together all kinds of elements that relate to the idea of wanting to become someone you're not. When we first see Jin Wang, he's just a little kid playing with a Transformer. Jin Wang loves Transformers so much that he wants to be one when he grows up. It seems like a typical kid-like thing to say, but Yang understands the essential lure of what a Transformer was. It changed from one thing to another according to the situation. So when you see Jin and his young Chinese-American friends gathered on Saturday mornings with their Transformers to watch the tv show of the same name and then act it out, you know precisely what Yang's saying. The book is full of small details like this that kids, even if they don't entirely understand what is being said, will contemplate on a much deeper level.

My husband snatched up and read this book just before I was able to (he's a grapic novel fan), and he complained a little that the Monkey King storyline wasn't in more of the book. I feel torn on the issue. On the one hand, I think that Yang has given just the right amount of weight and time to each tale in this book. On the other hand, it's hard not to want more Monkey King. I'm kind of ashamed to say it, but the first time I ever heard of the legend was when I read, "The Sign of Qin" by L.G. Bass. After that I found other Monkey King picture books, and came to the slow realization that here was an amazing character. A trickster, but with a kind of gravity that makes him a more understandable character than your usual Pucks, Pans, and Coyotes.

The art itself is simple enough to lure in the kiddies right from the start, without ever becoming too simple or failing to convey the storyline. In the end, this book is one of the subtler discussions of race, racism, and trying to fit in. Fellow author Derek Kirk Kim is blurbed as saying, "As an Asian American, American Born Chinese is the book I've been waiting for all my life". The book goes beyond just the Asian American community, though. It's a smart witty treatise that needs to be read and understood by all kids. The best graphic novel of 2006 for children, bar none.

When I read this book, I didnt quite know what I was getting into, but I am very happy I read it. This book carries many powerful themes and silly characters. I would steer young children away from this book because of the stereotypes that are necessary to get the main theme across. I loved this graphic novel, and its a very quick read if you are used to reading graphic novels or comics. Everyone should read this book at one point or another because of the real importance of personal identity while kids are coming of age.

I was assigned this book for a youth literature class. I'd never heard of the book or the author. After seeing the cover and reading a synopsis I figured it would be childish and appealing to those younger than myself.

I was WRONG! I LOVED the story! It was different. The simple comics kept me wanting more! The lesson the story teaches is something anyone can stand to learn. It teaches you to accept yourself and those around you. It brought a lot of stereotypes to light and how cruel young people can be toward themselves and others.

This book was a fast read. It's interesting for children of all ages but parents should be aware of some mature content within the book. Some aspects of racism and stereotypes but nothing too strong. Recommended for kids who are ages 8 - 14.

I really thought I would like this one. I'm a fan of comics and graphic novels that focus on everyday life (e.g. Dykes to Watch Out For, Ghost World, Summer Blonde, My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down), and I'm also fascinated by myths and folk tales of various cultures. To top it off, the praise on the cover sleeve compares "American Born Chinese" to Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye," a name-drop that definitely had me sold.

While it made for a fine one-time read, I can't help but feel a little duped into thinking that this would be something more substantial. The drawings should have given it away: attractive, but lacking depth. Almost reminiscent of a show that might air on Cartoon Network (I couldn't help thinking about Mojo Jojo from The Power Puff Girls when reading the Monkey King sections). Similarly, the plot, and especially its much-hyped resolution, feels like something straight out of a cartoon. Not exactly obvious, but not insightful or emotionally gripping. Needless to say, the comparison to Toni Morrison is beyond ludicrous.

After finishing the work, I got the impression that the artist did not invest much passion or love into it. The best graphic novelists can accentuate profundities from even the most banal details of daily life. This requires an obsessive dedication to each panel's fusion of text and image, and it's this obsession that seems to be missing from "ABC."

There's nothing wrong with being pithy or economical in style, but here I was left wanting more. More engaging and revealing illustrations, and more engaging and revealing plot development.

"American Born Chinese" is adequate for a quick read, but only if the reader ignores the hype and praise that has been showered upon it.

It's fine for what it is, but it's not much.

This book was just nominated for the National Book Award. It is the first graphic novel EVER to be nominated. This is a testimony to Yang's gifts as an artist and especially as a storyteller.

Using a genre that has been typically reserved for superheroes, Yang deals with sophisticated issues of ethicity, identity, childhood and belonging. The novel balances both humor and real struggle in a masterfully creative format that weaves together Chinese folk tales, American high school experiences, and a television sitcom.

American Born Chinese might be my favorite book of 2009. It was so much FUN to read. I laughed out loud several times, from the dialogue and the illustrations. Written in the format of a graphic novel it follows three story lines that come together at the end. It took me a minute to figure out the connection at the end, but it worked. Though I'm not an immigrant or the child of... [...]

Wonderful book. Need more books like this. There are too few books focusing on the male half of Asian AMericans. Too many Asian American literature are about "Summer Lotus" and "Spring Flowers", the typical Asian American heroines who needs to be rescued from their oppressive Asian males by white man.

This was a wonderful book that delves into racial steretypes in ways that kids can really get! I enjoyed reading this as much as my kids!

Here's a great interview with the Gene Luen Yang in which he discusses how his book explores Asian-American identity: http://commitmentnow.com/living-a-creative-life/writing-books-for-children/features/childrens-book-illustrator-of-the-week/feature/a-graphic-novel-that-deals-with-racial-sterotypes.

This book is a book of three tales about a child (Jin Wang), a Monkey King, and a visiting cousin from Japan. During the first part of the of the book you can see that in a new place, times can be difficult. People chose to be stereotypical and treat Jin Way and his friend Wei-Chin Sun like outcasts. The monkey king learns many disciplines over time, making himself become practically invincible. Danny is a normal boy visited by his cousin who starts to ruin Danny's life. As you can see this book is a thrilling graphic novel that will take through the experiences of stereotypes and problems of people and things from another place.

Written by: Austin, Neil, Pascal, Chandler (High Tech Middle Media Arts students)

I've made it my personal quest to find a children's graphic novel that can prove to naysayers anywhere the literary possibilities of the genre. When, "American Born Chinese", was placed merrily into my hands, however, I fairly ignorant of its potential. The name Gene Luen Yang didn't mean anything to me. The style was not one that immediately leapt out at me. But I'm a sucker for a good graphic novel and this book had something going for it: The Monkey King. I love love love any stories, legends, picture books, what have you, that contain that most legendary of all gods and goddesses, the king of the monkeys himself. Lured in by the promise of some serious fantasy (as, I am sure, many kids who pick up this book will as well) I found a story about assimilation that is so brilliantly penned and carefully plotted that it rivals every notion of what a graphic novel can and can't do. Do you know someone who couldn't care less about this new format? Someone who thinks comic books can't convey the weight and intelligence of a proper novel? Thrust "American Born Chinese" into their arms immediately, if not sooner. If I were to choose a single graphic novel to grace every library's children's room nationwide, you can bet that this is the puppy I'd put my faith in.

Three storylines. Three different characters. One single idea. At the heart of our first story is Jin Wang, the son of Chinese immigrants, who just wants to fit in. He wants to date the cute blond girl in the overalls and to perm his hair. What he wants, and how far he's willing to go to get it, is the center of the story itself. The second storyline concerns the tales of the Monkey King. Not content to be merely a monkey, the Monkey King did everything in his power to become a Great Sage, Equal of Heaven. This was all well and good until he was informed by Tze-Yo-Tzuh, creator of all existence, that he was a monkey after all. It's not until the King can accept what he is that he is able to free himself from his own self-induced prison. The third storyline is the riskiest of the three. It plays out like a bad sitcom, with a kid named Danny and his cousin Chin-Kee. Chin-Kee is every horrible Chinese stereotype ever concocted and rolled into a single character. His story slowly continues until it becomes clear that the three different tales we've been reading have merged into a single narrative. And at the heart of the narrative is the idea that assimilation is a question of forfeiting your soul. A forfeit that no one should want to make.

Yang skillfully brings together all kinds of elements that relate to the idea of wanting to become someone you're not. When we first see Jin Wang, he's just a little kid playing with a Transformer. Jin Wang loves Transformers so much that he wants to be one when he grows up. It seems like a typical kid-like thing to say, but Yang understands the essential lure of what a Transformer was. It changed from one thing to another according to the situation. So when you see Jin and his young Chinese-American friends gathered on Saturday mornings with their Transformers to watch the tv show of the same name and then act it out, you know precisely what Yang's saying. The book is full of small details like this that kids, even if they don't entirely understand what is being said, will contemplate on a much deeper level.

My husband snatched up and read this book just before I was able to (he's a grapic novel fan), and he complained a little that the Monkey King storyline wasn't in more of the book. I feel torn on the issue. On the one hand, I think that Yang has given just the right amount of weight and time to each tale in this book. On the other hand, it's hard not to want more Monkey King. I'm kind of ashamed to say it, but the first time I ever heard of the legend was when I read, "The Sign of Qin" by L.G. Bass. After that I found other Monkey King picture books, and came to the slow realization that here was an amazing character. A trickster, but with a kind of gravity that makes him a more understandable character than your usual Pucks, Pans, and Coyotes.

The art itself is simple enough to lure in the kiddies right from the start, without ever becoming too simple or failing to convey the storyline. In the end, this book is one of the subtler discussions of race, racism, and trying to fit in. Fellow author Derek Kirk Kim is blurbed as saying, "As an Asian American, American Born Chinese is the book I've been waiting for all my life". The book goes beyond just the Asian American community, though. It's a smart witty treatise that needs to be read and understood by all kids. The best graphic novel of 2006 for children, bar none.

When I read this book, I didnt quite know what I was getting into, but I am very happy I read it. This book carries many powerful themes and silly characters. I would steer young children away from this book because of the stereotypes that are necessary to get the main theme across. I loved this graphic novel, and its a very quick read if you are used to reading graphic novels or comics. Everyone should read this book at one point or another because of the real importance of personal identity while kids are coming of age.

I was assigned this book for a youth literature class. I'd never heard of the book or the author. After seeing the cover and reading a synopsis I figured it would be childish and appealing to those younger than myself.

I was WRONG! I LOVED the story! It was different. The simple comics kept me wanting more! The lesson the story teaches is something anyone can stand to learn. It teaches you to accept yourself and those around you. It brought a lot of stereotypes to light and how cruel young people can be toward themselves and others.

This book was a fast read. It's interesting for children of all ages but parents should be aware of some mature content within the book. Some aspects of racism and stereotypes but nothing too strong. Recommended for kids who are ages 8 - 14.

I really thought I would like this one. I'm a fan of comics and graphic novels that focus on everyday life (e.g. Dykes to Watch Out For, Ghost World, Summer Blonde, My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down), and I'm also fascinated by myths and folk tales of various cultures. To top it off, the praise on the cover sleeve compares "American Born Chinese" to Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye," a name-drop that definitely had me sold.

While it made for a fine one-time read, I can't help but feel a little duped into thinking that this would be something more substantial. The drawings should have given it away: attractive, but lacking depth. Almost reminiscent of a show that might air on Cartoon Network (I couldn't help thinking about Mojo Jojo from The Power Puff Girls when reading the Monkey King sections). Similarly, the plot, and especially its much-hyped resolution, feels like something straight out of a cartoon. Not exactly obvious, but not insightful or emotionally gripping. Needless to say, the comparison to Toni Morrison is beyond ludicrous.

After finishing the work, I got the impression that the artist did not invest much passion or love into it. The best graphic novelists can accentuate profundities from even the most banal details of daily life. This requires an obsessive dedication to each panel's fusion of text and image, and it's this obsession that seems to be missing from "ABC."

There's nothing wrong with being pithy or economical in style, but here I was left wanting more. More engaging and revealing illustrations, and more engaging and revealing plot development.

"American Born Chinese" is adequate for a quick read, but only if the reader ignores the hype and praise that has been showered upon it.

It's fine for what it is, but it's not much.

This book was just nominated for the National Book Award. It is the first graphic novel EVER to be nominated. This is a testimony to Yang's gifts as an artist and especially as a storyteller.

Using a genre that has been typically reserved for superheroes, Yang deals with sophisticated issues of ethicity, identity, childhood and belonging. The novel balances both humor and real struggle in a masterfully creative format that weaves together Chinese folk tales, American high school experiences, and a television sitcom.

Not only is each of the story lines compelling and moving and rich on their own, but they speak to each other more and more deeply as the graphic novel progresses. And the way the author brings them together in the end, combining biography, fiction and myth, is stunning. A must read.

American Born Chinese might be my favorite book of 2009. It was so much FUN to read. I laughed out loud several times, from the dialogue and the illustrations. Written in the format of a graphic novel it follows three story lines that come together at the end. It took me a minute to figure out the connection at the end, but it worked. Though I'm not an immigrant or the child of... [...]

Wonderful book. Need more books like this. There are too few books focusing on the male half of Asian AMericans. Too many Asian American literature are about "Summer Lotus" and "Spring Flowers", the typical Asian American heroines who needs to be rescued from their oppressive Asian males by white man.

Gene Yang manages to really flesh out major issues in racial self-discovery for Asian-Americans, especially male Asian-Americans. The book is concise- I read it in less than 1.5 hours. It shamelessly brings out thorny issues with relieving humor. I am Asian American and I concur with many of the issues brought up. Many of the references from the group play with transformers to the projection of superiority onto fobber Asians tap into my history of wrestling with identification. The clean presentation and comic book format would be appealing to a younger audience, especially one that isn't receptive to reading longer books or listening to grown-ups.

Maybe our parents were too busy figuring out a red-black tree algorithm or worrying about getting a job after graduation that they never bothered to figure out who Bob Dylan was.

Although we were born in the US our growing process was rather systematic. We must play the piano, we must take our SATs, we must enter Harvard, we must drive nice cars, we must get a big house, we must... Somewhere in the process it becomes shocking how disconnected we are from the rest of the world. So instead of being confused or angry this book explains why it's OK to be an outcast, a minority, a weirdo, a nerd, and an outsider by combining three different stories together.

I recommend this book to any "weirdos" out there.

I thought chinese born american was really good, cause I once felt the same way the protagonist felt about himself. Like, you gotta be white or something you aren't and you know it's not really working out.

American Born Chinese is a masterfully composed and drawn coming of age graphic novel about transcending racial stereotypes and the beauty of accepting yourself for who you truly are. I highly recommend it to fans of the graphic novel medium and to parents who want to teach thier children the value of self acceptance and tolerance of other cultures.

This is one of two great autobiography graphic novels to come out in 2006 (the other being Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic). Lang takes a unique approach to telling a personal story through 3 inter-cutting tales that should make the book appealing (and FUN!) for anyone with interests in comics, Asian American life, Asian pop culture, or autobiographical works.

I am a reading tutor and had to read this book for a multicultural literature class. What a treat! Not only does this book offer multiple story lines that come together for great classroom discussions, but the illustrations are beautiful. Parents should read this too!

American Born Chinese is an insightful book that discusses the stereotype and discrimination against Asian American. However, such a heavy topic is addressed through entertaining images and graphics, which keeps readers intersted till the last page. As a Chinese living in America, I sympathize with the characters' struggle to fit in.

My son got this book at our local library and absolutely loved it. He wanted me to purchase a copy. I didn't want to since he already read it, but he just had to have it so that he could read it over and over again! He said the book was so good he could not put it down and he read it all in one day.

I initially rated this work with a one star review, but that was the result of being a 4th generation Chinese American of Cantonese heritage, and actually more sensitive to the stereotypes that are satirized by the Chin-Kee character. I haven't actually queried author Yang about his views but I speculate that he doesn't actually consider himself an American Born Chinese, but rather an American Born Taiwanese and isn't part of the lineage that Chin-Kee is mocking. Nevertheless, I believe Yang's intentions are good and thus I would give it a 3 star review with a couple of caveats.

First, beware of the Law of Unintended Consequences, in this case, the result of using the comic book medium to present ideas. "The Medium is the Massage" by Marshall Mcluhan describes potential consequences of the work perfectly. The comic book, or in this case the graphic novel genre is what would be considered a "cool" medium meaning the visual images provide a high level of stimulus, but the written message has a lower level and requires much more active participation before it is received. This means that American Born Chinese quite possibly has the unintended consequence of perpetuating the very stereotype it wants to conquer, unless an outside influence, a teacher or parent for instance, provides careful guidance to the reader.

Ironically, the most damaging stereotype I find in the book is not Chin-Kee, but rather the character Wei Chen who is revealed to be part of a phenomenon known as Asian Pride, or AP. The AP drives a "tuner" car, and sports all the accoutrements you see in the book. I wish to sidestep over-generalization by saying I've had ample opportunity to observe "AP" young people and suspect they have as much, if not more angst about their racial and cultural heritage which keeps them from reaching their full potential as Americans. Also,the potential for racism can go in both directions as a result.

Regardless of one's opinion, it is undeniable that this is a popular book. My local library has 5 copies. So my only suggestion is that as young people read it, they are given ample opportunity to engage in dialogue to reveal the true messages being conveyed.

I was not happy with this book. I did not find the story interesting or in any way enlightening. I was really bothered by the Monkey King part of the book. The author has changed the wonderful, audacious Sun Wukong who was instrumental in bringing Buddhist teachings to China, to a rather pathetic character who instead brings gifts to the baby Jesus.
The story of the Monkey King says you can be whatever you want to be. This books seems to be saying: you have to be what everyone wants you to be. The god that Yang has invented even makes the Monkey King remove his shoes, because monkeys aren't supposed to wear shoes. Why not? Monkey was happy wearing shoes. If you want to get insight into Chinese mythology, do not read this book.

I don't get it. I find the book (after reading it again) pretty awful -- it's racist and anti-semitic -- and extremely confusing in story and presentation. (Chinese and African American characters are drawn with stereotypical features; on page 35 the characters talk of playing a game called "Let's be Jews" in which they have to steal an item or two from Mrs. Garbinsky's dresser drawer. I would not trust 9th and 10th grade students (I have taught high school and college English for 30+ years) to read this book on their own or in a group -- as even if the racism/anti-semitism is tongue in cheek, they would need someone to explain it to them. I actually fear the adverse affect the book could have on naive, unquestioning students. Unless you have a highly developed sense of irony or a love of transformers, I can't imagine getting this book. Alas.

I understand what the author was TRYING to do, I just also understand that the author failed. In an attempt to show how offensive Asian stereotypes can be, the author creates an Asian stereotype that is horrifyingly offensive (even to nonasians, such as myself). This character's name is "Chink-ee".

I don't think much more needs to be said about Chink-ee.

My son loves graphic novels. This book had excellent reviews. So, I purchased two copies, one for my American born half-Chinese son, and one for myself. I must say that this book perpetuates old-fashioned Asian stereotypes. As a former middle school teacher, I would never recommend this for readers younger than college age who will not be influenced by the racist stereotypes. This is one of the worst graphic novels I've evern seen.

I remember fondly the last Chinese American colleague of my military career. She was my supervisor: a very kind, patient, conscientious, hardworking, and highly competent person. It was she who explained to me the difference between American Born Chinese (ABC), and Chinese who had just immigrated and were, therefore, Fresh Off the Boat (FOB).
The memory of my first Chinese American colleague is less pleasant. Not that it was his fault; the blame was entirely mine. He, too, was conscientious, hardworking, and highly competent. Perhaps because we were officers of the same rank, I did not consider him as Chinese, but as a fellow soldier. That, of course, is how the Army expected us to think of one another. However, our shared identity caused me to forget the identity he had carried since before his birth. Then one day I told a tasteless joke which had as its object a Chinese stereotype, and my colleague heard it. He was angry, I was embarrassed, and our relationship was never the same. That was one of a lengthy series of lessons that taught me not only to guard my tongue, but to adjust the heart attitudes that shape what comes from my tongue.
Gene Luen Yang has carried that life lesson even further with his graphic novel, American Born Chinese, a masterful insider view of what it means to be part of an ancient culture transplanted to an alien setting.
To be honest, I am not in the habit of reading graphic novels, and would not have read this one had there been no compelling incentive. Yet it just so happens that one of my daughters has a special man in her life who is American Born Chinese. Since he is important to her, he is important to me. He is a fan of Yang, and especially of this novel, which resonates with his own life story. So, wanting to know this person who had captured my daughter’s interest, I embarked on a quest to learn something about him through one of his favorite artists.
It was an entirely rewarding experience. Yang is a masterful comic artist and storyteller, able to use his artwork to get points across more effectively than with the written word alone. That is the power of graphic novels. Who wouldn’t prefer to look at a page of colorful pictures rather than a page full of text? Truly a picture is worth a thousand words, and Yang knows how to maximize the effectiveness of his pictures. His art includes traditional Chinese elements, which he fuses nicely with contemporary cartoon styles from both the West and the East. The overall effect is a seamless fusion of images that carry the novel forward at just the right pace. Yang’s story, or stories, convey the same effect: weaving elements from the East and West into something resembling a textual fugue. American Born Chinese is actually a compilation of three distinct stories, each developing the same theme.
Yang draws his first story line from the old Chinese tale of the Monkey King. Although Buddhist in origin, Yang adjusts the story to reflect his own Christian worldview. The adjustments work very nicely. Those familiar with the Bible will recognize the Christian elements, or at least some of them; there are subtle references which only the serious biblical scholar will catch. In this creative license, Yang not only reminds us that Christianity is just as much part of the overall Chinese story as Buddhism, Taoism, and Islam, but also something that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien knew very well: myth is a filter of reality. In this case, if, as the Bible states, there is revelation of the Creator in every culture, then Yang has provided an ancient Chinese example of that phenomenon.
This example of mythic reality introduces us to the central theme of Yang’s story: being true to one’s identity. The other two story lines carry that theme forward with increasing amplification. The second story concerns Jin, a Chinese American teen trying to cope with the reality of being one of only three Asians in his school. Where the story of the Monkey King is mythically delightful, Jin’s story is awkward and comical, just like the typical story of any young American teen. Up to a point, that is: the point where Jin decides his Chinese heritage is a liability. That’s when the story bends away from the comical and toward the tragic.
The third story line is hardly tragic, but the most difficult of the three to receive. For all their quirks, we like the Monkey King and Jin, but we have a hard time finding anything to like about Chin-kee, the obnoxious Chinese cousin of Danny, an American high school student. Yang’s presentation of Chin-kee may be somewhat cathartic in that this character embodies all the negative stereotypes with which Americans have painted Chinese. It is painful to endure. Chinese and other Asian readers no doubt recall incidents in which such stereotypes colored their lives; non-Asians reading with a sensitive eye may recall times (as I did) when their insensitivity and ignorance caused offense. Yet even here, being true to one’s identity is the core of the story.
One might ask, what do negative racial and cultural stereotypes have to do with true identity? The answer comes in the captivating way the author resolves the crises in each of his story lines. Not only does he guide his characters through their individual identity crises, he makes provision for multi-generational solutions that point all of his characters toward a future and a hope. With a sudden twist or two, the three stories become one story, and we close the book having learned something far more profound than we believed possible in a graphic novel: we learn what it means to be human.
That, ultimately, is the foundation of Gene Luen Yang’s creation. The struggles of being American Born Chinese are the vehicle for this life lesson applicable to us all. Eventually, we must learn to be true to ourselves, but what exactly are we? That question should provoke us into a search for our true identity that will lead us back to the One who made us. Some may question what constitutes a valid identity, but that is a question I am not qualified to answer. Ultimately, only the Creator can answer it. What I do know – and what American Born Chinese has helped me remember – is that we share this identity called human. If we can all meet there as our starting point, then maybe we can find a way to cooperate in figuring out the rest of life’s mysteries.American Born Chinese

A fascinating example of cultural exploration in graphic novel form. The book breaks down into three major narratives and Gene Luen Yang amazingly and masterfully brings all this together by the end. Lots of good going on with this book. Highly recommended!

A Chinese bhikshuni recommended this to me so I could share it with my daughter, another ABC Irish, Scots, English, German, Dutch, Native American. She loves it and all her ABK friends do too, and all the rest of the lovely mixed cultural friends of hers and mine. I do think this is for the younger crowd and it does a lot better job at sharing our issues than a staid textbook would. Every parent should have this no matter if they have mixed inheritance or not.

I recently bought this for a girl that was born in America, has a Chinese parent and a European parent. She recently spent a year in Europe so I thought she would enjoy, and be reminded by this book. This was a good book.

This story is very nice. It properly addresses the ideas of being new to an area you are not familiar, but it also deals with the problems of racial identity. The only problem is that the book has three different stories: A myth, a television show, and a down-to-earth story about the previous sentence. Now that itself is not the problem, the problem is that they somehow tie the three stories together, not in a metaphorical sense, but in a LITERAL sense. Aside from that, the story truly deserves its 4 stars.

This book was one I couldn't put down. I received it Christmas morning as a gift, and finished it by lunch. It's a poignant and clever story that I related to well as someone who isn't always happy to be Asian.

I can't even start the book, too difficult to read a comic book on a smaller Kindle. My mistake, I didn't realize it was JUST a comic book. I can't even return it. I would want to exchange it for the actual book, but....I am not sure it is a good idea to offer comics on Kindle.