Gene Luen Yang,
American Born Chinese
First Second Books, 2006

Ages 12+

The first and only graphic novel ever to be recognized by the National Book Award, Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese is a crisply illustrated book comprised of three related stories, all of which focus on the idea of identity and self-acceptance.  The book begins with Yang's modern take on the classical Chinese story of the Monkey King, who wants so much to be accepted as an equal by the gods that he abandons his true identity as a monkey.  In Yang's version, the Monkey King is ejected from an exclusive god and goddess-only dinner party because, as the bouncer says, "Look, you may be a king --you may even be a deity-- but you are still a monkey."

Enter the second story, featuring Jin Wang, an American-born child of immigrant parents from China.  The family starts out living in San Francisco's Chinatown neighborhood, where Jin feels comfortable with his identity and where he has lots of friends, but when the family moves to a mostly white suburb, Jin is ostracized and bullied.  Jin's Chinese roots ground him, but he is always aware of how they also set him apart, especially from the blond girl he has a secret crush on.  He is tempted to change himself to win her and even perms his hair to look more like a white classmate the girl seems to like.

The third story focuses on a high school student named Danny.  Danny looks white and succeeds in blending in with his non-Asian classmates, but every year his obnoxious Chinese cousin "Chin-kee," shows up and embarrasses Danny so much that he is compelled to transfer to another school.  "By the time he leaves, no one thinks of me as Danny anymore. I'm Chin-kee's cousin."

All three of Yang's protagonists, the Monkey King, Jin, and Danny, turn the rejection and cruelty they are dealt onto others who are like them.  The Monkey King comes back to his cave after being ejected from the party and "...the thick smell of monkey fur greeted him. He'd never noticed it before."  Although Jin Wang eventually makes friends with a new Taiwanese student at his school, his initial reaction to the new kid is a strange desire, "to beat him up." Danny actually follows through on such a desire and punches his cousin Chin-kee in the head.

Yang cleverly brings the three storylines of this fun, clever, and thought-provoking graphic novel together in the end by revealing some surprising truths about the secret identity of its central characters, and by allowing even the Monkey King to come around to self-acceptance. In a way, it's a perfect comic book ending—after all, Spiderman and Superman had their secret identities to deal with too.

The obvious message throughout the book is that racism is hurtful. The more complex idea that surfaces is that when others hate you for being different, you can begin to hate yourself, your culture, your family, and even others like you; and that in trying to be like everyone else, you can lose what is most valuable in yourself. This book is sure to call young adults' attention to issues of racism within and across cultures.

Jeannine Stronach
November 2006