Module Ten: American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Summary: Jin is trying to fit it in his school. He is the only Chinese American in the entire school. Reluctantly, he befriends Wei-Chen who is Taiwanese. In the graphic novel, there are twother plots that are being portrayed. There is the Monkey-King who is on a journey for redemption and Danny, who is a perfect Chinese American, must deal with his cousin who is not very good at fitting into American culture. Each story delas with finding oneself in their own culture.

Citation: Yang, G.L. (2008). American born chinese. New York, NY: Square Fish.

Impressions: This is the first graphic novel that I had ever read. I had heard several good things about it but, I was a little reluctant. I am now looking forward to reading many more because of this book. I persoanlly liked how the author uses the three different story lines that all carry a smiliar meaning. I think this is an excellenet book when teaching about other culutres. The style of the book has a way of making the reader feel for involved with lives of the characters. This book has opened a whole new genre for me.

Reviews:
“The graphic-novel format is particularly well suited to managing the flow of three simultaneous storylines, and the action sequences of the Monkey King’s tale and the over-the-top satire on the portrayal of immigrants in American pop culture settle right into their spacious frames on the generously white bordered pages. Compositions are tidy and the palette is softly muted, so that even the strongest colors in the action scenes never reach the intensity of a visual assault. Kids fighting an uphill battle to convince parents and teachers of the literary merit of graphic novels would do well to share this title.”- Elizabeth Bush

Bush, E. (2006). American born chinese (book review). The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, 60(3). Retrieved from the Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.

“With vibrant colors and visual panache, indie writer-illustrator Yang (Rosary Comic Book) focuses on three characters in tales that touch on facets of Chinese American life. Jin is a boy faced with the casual racism of fellow students and the pressure of his crush on a Caucasian girl; the Monkey King, a character from Chinese folklore, has attained great power but feels he is being held back because of what the gods perceive as his lowly status; and Danny, a popular high-school student, suffers through an annual visit from his cousin Chin-Kee, a walking, talking compendium of exaggerated Chinese stereotypes. Each of the characters is flawed but familiar, and, in a clever postmodern twist, all share a deep, unforeseen connection. Yang helps the humor shine by using his art to exaggerate or contradict the words, creating a synthesis that marks an accomplished graphic storyteller. The stories have a simple, engaging sweep to them, but their weighty subjects--shame, racism, and friendship--receive thoughtful, powerful examination.”- Jesse Karp

Karp, J. (2006). American born chinese (book review). Booklist, 103(1). Retrieved from Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.

Library Setting: In the library, I would have the patrons come together after they had read the book. I would then have the patrons draw the three stories, and their characters, as they would see it. I would have them color or paint the drawings bright colors. I would then make a large presenation board and have the pictures hanging from it. The title of the board would be "A Graphic Novel through Your Eyes." Make a presentation of other graphic novels by the presentation board.