American Born Chinese - Gene Luen Yang

Genres: Fable, Graphic Novel
Grades 7 & up

Every once in awhile I think about how great it would be to go back in time and, knowing what I know now, relive my middle and high school years. Then I come to my senses. Kids today are dealing with a whole slew of issues that I never considered 10-15 years ago. It is almost cliche to say it but the world is moving so much faster these days and it has had a dramatic affect on the lives of kids. Lots of things have changed since I was in school but one thing has not - the need for kids to fit in. For some kids this is really easy - they can just be themselves and they fit right in. For others it is a bit more difficult - they feel that they need to be something else, something better than what they are for people to like them. The irony is that when a person changes to be accepted by others, they often change into a person that they don't like. In the end they realize (as I did) that by being yourself you are being the best person you can be and that people will like you for this.

American Born Chinese illustrates this point exquisitely. The book is three stories in one. The first deals with Jin Wang, a typical kid that just wants to fit in. He is self conscious about his Asian background, especially his looks, and wishes to be more American. The second story is a take on the old Chinese fable of the Monkey King, a monkey that wants to be more human so that he can attend a dinner party with other human-like deities. The last story is drawn like a sitcom starring Chin-Kee. Chin-Kee is every bad Chinese stereotype wrapped into one person - he's got buck teeth, slanted eyes, wears a queue hairstyle and traditional Chinese-style robes and says harro instead of hello. The three apparently separate stories all come together for a surprise but very satisfying ending.

American Born Chinese was a fun book to read. The artwork for this graphic novel is great - very colorful. This book reads very quick. I would recommend this book to any kid, particularly those that like comics or those that feel like they are having trouble fitting in.