My Thoughts On: American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang, was assigned to my English class to read. I have mixed opinions on the graphic novel. First off, read the graphic novel with an open mind. It can be considered very racist and stereotypical, but I believe that's what makes the story so interesting. There were three different story lines, each introducing us to new characters. Each of the three story lines had the one single idea of wanting to fit in.                                          
The first story line introduced us to character Jin Wang who started a new life in a new home and a new school. He struggled 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's constantly mocked, 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 find his character so relatable. In school I've always been the odd one out of everyone, basically because I'm different. I wasn't like the other kids around me. My favorite movies and music were from the 70s/80s, and it's hard to find a circle you can relate to when their interests seem to be the pop bullshit overplayed on any local radio station. I was also an avid learner/reader which basically isn't normal to people around me.  

http://cbldf.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/jinwangintro.png

In the second story line , 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 hell 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. I found that the King of the Monkeys had this built up anger and seemed to let it out often. His character might be familiar to those who might have read Journey to the West (a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming Dynasty..)

In the third, and my least favorite, story line, a teenage boy named Danny feels humiliated everytime his cousin Chin-Kee comes to visit him. Chin-Kee has buck teeth, can't correctly speak, and generally makes a fool of himself. The story line was absolutely painful to read and if I were to ever re-read this graphic novel I'd gladly skip over the parts that feature Chin-Kee. 

Overall I'd rate the graphic novel a 3.2/5. It was entertainingly funny, featured great graphics, and although I didn't care for one of the three plots I liked how they all tied together in the end.

- John C.