| American Born Chinese | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 57 reviews)
Sales Rank: 17886
Category: Book
Author: Gene Luen Yang
Publisher: First Second
Studio: First Second
Manufacturer: First Second
Label: First Second
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Edition: Revised
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 6 x 0.8
ISBN: 1596431520
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5973
EAN: 9781596431522
ASIN: 1596431520
Publication Date: September 5, 2006
Release Date: September 5, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A tour-de-force by rising indy comics star Gene Yang, American Born Chinese tells the story of three apparently unrelated characters: Jin Wang, who moves to a new neighborhood with his family only to discover that he?s the only Chinese-American student at his new school; the powerful Monkey King, subject of one of the oldest and greatest Chinese fables; and Chin-Kee, a personification of the ultimate negative Chinese stereotype, who is ruining his cousin Danny?s life with his yearly visits. Their lives and stories come together with an unexpected twist in this action-packed modern fable. American Born Chinese is an amazing ride, all the way up to the astonishing climax.
Amazon.com Review
Indie graphic novelist Gene Yang's intelligent and emotionally challenging American Born Chinese is made up of three individual plotlines: the determined efforts of the Chinese folk hero Monkey King to shed his humble roots and be revered as a god; the struggles faced by Jin Wang, a lonely Asian American middle school student who would do anything to fit in with his white classmates; and the sitcom plight of Danny, an All-American teen so shamed by his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee (a purposefully painful ethnic stereotype) that he is forced to change schools. Each story works well on its own, but Yang engineers a clever convergence of these parallel tales into a powerful climax that destroys the hateful stereotype of Chin-Kee, while leaving both Jin Wang and the Monkey King satisfied and happy to be who they are. Yang skillfully weaves these affecting, often humorous stories together to create a masterful commentary about race, identity, and self-acceptance that has earned him a spot as a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People. The artwork, rendered in a chromatically cool palette, is crisp and clear, with clean white space around center panels that sharply focuses the reader's attention in on Yang's achingly familiar characters. There isn't an adolescent alive who won't be able to relate to Jin's wish to be someone other than who he is, and his gradual realization that there is no better feeling than being comfortable in your own skin.--Jennifer Hubert
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| Customer Reviews: Read 52 more reviews...
 Beautiful work December 15, 2008
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.
Poignant meditation on internalized oppression December 6, 2008
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.
Interesting Presentation, Positive Story November 9, 2008
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.
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Very good October 27, 2008
ABC is a great book, very well thought out. It made me think for a long time after I read it.
 Racist. October 22, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
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.
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