Sequential Art

American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese

  • Downloads：6855
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-23 11:51:51
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Gene Luen Yang
  • ISBN：1250811899
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

Gene Luen Yang was the fifth the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and is a MacArthur Fellow， a recipient of what's popularly known as the MacArthur Genius Grant。



A tour-de-force by New York Times bestselling graphic novelist 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。

American Born Chinese is the winner of the 2007 Michael L。 Printz Award， a 2006 National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature， the winner of the 2007 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: New， an Eisner Award nominee for Best Coloring， a 2007 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year， and a New York Times bestseller。

This title has Common Core Connections

Download

Reviews

G ，

Read for my YA Lit class Spring 2021。American Born Chinese follows three separate characters， in a seemingly unrelated book。 Jim Wang moves with his family to a new house， and finds himself being picked on by neighborhood bullies。 Monkey King is an expert at kung-fu but wants to be revered as a god。 And Chin-Kee is Danny’s cousin who has come to visit， but Danny doesn’t want him to be here。 The weaving together of the three stories was done so well， and it all comes together in a great climax。 T Read for my YA Lit class Spring 2021。American Born Chinese follows three separate characters， in a seemingly unrelated book。 Jim Wang moves with his family to a new house， and finds himself being picked on by neighborhood bullies。 Monkey King is an expert at kung-fu but wants to be revered as a god。 And Chin-Kee is Danny’s cousin who has come to visit， but Danny doesn’t want him to be here。 The weaving together of the three stories was done so well， and it all comes together in a great climax。 This book is a graphic novel， and delivers a really great message， that it’s important to love your culture and be proud of it， even if others don’t want you to be。 I really enjoyed it and thought it was told in a really intriguing way。 I was hooked from the start and read it in one sitting。 I highly recommend it for young readers， and readers who are struggling to come to terms with their identity。 I know some people don’t like graphic novels and don’t consider them to be real books， so if you come into contact with a person like that， point them to this book。 。。。more

Lisa ，

This book is difficult for me to rate， I think because I’m probably not the intended audience， so I’ll defer to the fact that this may strike a chord with some Asian Americans’ lived experience， and it’s really ok that it’s not about or for me。It’s a graphic novel that ties together the stories of a character from the incredibly famous old Chinese novel Journey to the West， a Chinese American kid struggling with identity and prejudice and school， and a kid struggling with his “cousin” who is bas This book is difficult for me to rate， I think because I’m probably not the intended audience， so I’ll defer to the fact that this may strike a chord with some Asian Americans’ lived experience， and it’s really ok that it’s not about or for me。It’s a graphic novel that ties together the stories of a character from the incredibly famous old Chinese novel Journey to the West， a Chinese American kid struggling with identity and prejudice and school， and a kid struggling with his “cousin” who is basically an extreme representation of every stereotype of Asians all packed into one character （like the fact that he swaps Rs and Ls， which is not something people of Chinese descent do but in pan-Asian racism is still ascribed to them anyways）。 I found a lot of the book to be really sad。 The “ha ha ha ha ha” bits written across the bottoms of many of the panels just accentuated that sad feeling of watching characters who felt they were always being laughed at， not with。 The way the stories tied together at the end was interesting in a sort of magical way， and helped make a little more sense out of why that stereotyped （and very painful to read） character was there in the first place。 There is racism and prejudice and bullying in the book， but it’s primarily dealing more with questions of identity and internalized prejudice than it is with those outward facing issues。 。。。more

Annette ，

3。5 Stars

Amanda Johnson ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 In this graphic novel， Gene Luen Yang exposes the difficulties experienced by Asian American children using three separate， yet intersecting， plots。 The novel opens with The Monkey King， a Chinese deity， being rejected from a dinner party for deities solely for the fact that he is a monkey。 This event sparks an identity crisis that leads The Monkey King to isolate himself and become an ultimate Kung Fu master， growing much larger in size and renaming himself as "The Great Sage。" Eventually he co In this graphic novel， Gene Luen Yang exposes the difficulties experienced by Asian American children using three separate， yet intersecting， plots。 The novel opens with The Monkey King， a Chinese deity， being rejected from a dinner party for deities solely for the fact that he is a monkey。 This event sparks an identity crisis that leads The Monkey King to isolate himself and become an ultimate Kung Fu master， growing much larger in size and renaming himself as "The Great Sage。" Eventually he comes face to face with Tze-Yo-Tzuh， the creator of the world。 Tze-Yo-Tzuh reminds The Great Sage that his true identity is The Monkey King， but The Great Sage refuses to accept it， leading Tze-Yo-Tzuh to trap him under a giant mountain of rocks。 The Great Sage remains trapped under this mountain for 500 years until the pious monk， Wong Lai-Tsao， enlists him on a quest and tells him that reducing to his original size will free him。We are also introduced to a young Chinese American student named Jin。 Jin is treated differently by his classmates because of his heritage。 They judge him based off of preconceived notions about his diet and culture。 Eventually he reluctantly befriends Wei-Chen， another Asian American student。 They develop a close bond and Wei-Chen serves as Jin's wingman in order to help him ask out his crush， Amelia。 After one of the white students， Greg， asks Jin to stop dating Amelia because he is worried about her reputation， Jin wishes to be white。 His wish is granted when he suddenly wakes up as a white boy named Danny。Danny seems to have the whole world at his fingertips until his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee comes to visit。 Chin-Kee exhibits every stereotype perpetuated by American media。 He speaks in an over-the-top accent， eats stomach-churning meals， and even pees in another student's can of Coke。 Danny is so enraged and mortified that he ultimately punches Chin-Kee in the face。 This causes Chin-Kee's head to go flying off， revealing that he is actually The Monkey King。 It turns out that Chin-Kee has been The Monkey King in disguise all along。 He has been visiting the mortal world in order to spy on Jin and Wei-Chen， who is revealed to be his son inhabiting a temporary human form。Yang promotes self love and acceptance in this novel。 He illustrates （both literally and figuratively） how the rejection of one's heritage most often leads to feeling unfulfilled。 This novel is also helpful for white students as it provides a perspective on the hardships that minorities experience and can therefore teach white students to be more tolerant and openminded。 。。。more

Jim Olearchik ，

Such a great graphic novel that explores the idea of being an outsider from the main stream。 I would definitely have taught this book if I were still teaching MS。

Lance ，

4。5 stars。 American-Born Chinese was a surprisingly nuanced read about the Asian-American experience。

Anthony ，

This was the first graphic novel I’ve read and I was amazed how much I like this style。 It’s a very unique story about identity and race that’s easily digestible with a moral that always deserves to be taught。

Charlie ，

It’s 1 am。 I just read this whole book。 What the hell was this ending？？

Kareena ，

Coming to terms and acceptance of one’s Asian identity as told by Chinese Monkey King mythology and one boy’s experiences。 I liked the mythological aspects of this story intertwined with the modern world。 I had to look back after reading this as the end had an interesting twist。 Overall good。

Justin Taylor ，

This book follows three characters， Jin Wang， Chin-Kee， and the Monkey King as they navigate acceptance of themselves and their culture。 Overall I found the novel being told via graphic novel to be a great method for this story。 Within the novel we see that there are these three components， we see the Chinese culture that our characters are trying to accept， the American culture that they are trying to live within as well as the aspect of family and how to be accepted within their own circles。 I This book follows three characters， Jin Wang， Chin-Kee， and the Monkey King as they navigate acceptance of themselves and their culture。 Overall I found the novel being told via graphic novel to be a great method for this story。 Within the novel we see that there are these three components， we see the Chinese culture that our characters are trying to accept， the American culture that they are trying to live within as well as the aspect of family and how to be accepted within their own circles。 I think that the novel poses interesting questions about how Asian culture is portrayed in american societies as well as how people who are children of immigrants struggle to fit into a very strict American culture。 。。。more

Paheal ，

This book is totally amazing

Fatema ，

Would have appreciated more of a discussion about the racist， sexist， xenophobic language used in the book （characters discussing why that’s problematic）。 Tweens reading it on their own may not know how to contextualize these scenes。 Would recommend adults read with tweens and discuss to provide proper context and analysis。

Kathy ，

The boys have read this graphic novel several times。 I picked it up & was surprised by how much I enjoyed it。 A great picture into the life of an ABC who’s coming of age— and all the sad， difficult & fun things he has to deal with along the way。

Halley Hopson ，

3。75 stars ⭐️

Lauren ，

*4。5

Aria ，

This story is all about your identity， don't change it for anyone they should like you for you。 It told three different stories that had the same meaning which I liked。 This story is all about your identity， don't change it for anyone they should like you for you。 It told three different stories that had the same meaning which I liked。 。。。more

Samantha ，

I don't want to disparage a book that clearly means a lot to people who actually share the identity of the characters。 But this book was just not for me。 I don't want to disparage a book that clearly means a lot to people who actually share the identity of the characters。 But this book was just not for me。 。。。more

Zahirah ，

A semi-autobiographical graphic novel intersperse with Chinese legend and stereotypes， and of course ， the story of the first crush。 It's both expected and unexpected。 But what does it mean when I like the parts about Monkey most？ Good artwork。 A semi-autobiographical graphic novel intersperse with Chinese legend and stereotypes， and of course ， the story of the first crush。 It's both expected and unexpected。 But what does it mean when I like the parts about Monkey most？ Good artwork。 。。。more

Kylee Ehmann ，

Excellent all around。 Great art， great layered storytelling， and a great message perfect for readers of all ages。 I loved the integration of the myth of the Monkey King as part of highlighting Jin Yang's move to accepting himself and his culture and to stop trying so hard to fit in to the white American society around him。 Also making that myth maybe real all along was rad。 I also thought that the book does a good job at showing the levels of racism that can severely impact students of color （in Excellent all around。 Great art， great layered storytelling， and a great message perfect for readers of all ages。 I loved the integration of the myth of the Monkey King as part of highlighting Jin Yang's move to accepting himself and his culture and to stop trying so hard to fit in to the white American society around him。 Also making that myth maybe real all along was rad。 I also thought that the book does a good job at showing the levels of racism that can severely impact students of color （in this specific case Asian students）。 For example， you have the white boys who consistently use racial slurs and bully Jin， but there is also the white boy who is passive in the face of the bullying and tells him that he should stop trying to date the white girl because it would be a "bad look for her。" Good storytelling all around。 。。。more

Spyros ，

When I came across this comic book， I was sure it was going to be one more of these typical quick reads。 Soon， I found out that the story had depth and all characters， although a bit disconnected to each other， made sense towards the climax of the story。 This story offers a new perspective under which someone can show some sympathy towards the different elements in a society。 It enters the head of someone who feels different and interprets their actions and feelings based on that 。 Along with th When I came across this comic book， I was sure it was going to be one more of these typical quick reads。 Soon， I found out that the story had depth and all characters， although a bit disconnected to each other， made sense towards the climax of the story。 This story offers a new perspective under which someone can show some sympathy towards the different elements in a society。 It enters the head of someone who feels different and interprets their actions and feelings based on that 。 Along with that， the story exploits the coming of age theme and merges it smoothly with the story。 。。。more

RICHARD EVANS ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I liked the way the three different storylines interact with one another。 The legends of the Monkey King have always fascinated me， and this book did a great job of making those stories understandable for younger audiences。 I also thought the internal dialogue of struggling with being Chinese or Taiwanese， or Japanese， in America was such an important topic to discuss。 While the book didn't make too big a deal of it， the reason Jin wants to change who he is， is ultimately because he is Asian， an I liked the way the three different storylines interact with one another。 The legends of the Monkey King have always fascinated me， and this book did a great job of making those stories understandable for younger audiences。 I also thought the internal dialogue of struggling with being Chinese or Taiwanese， or Japanese， in America was such an important topic to discuss。 While the book didn't make too big a deal of it， the reason Jin wants to change who he is， is ultimately because he is Asian， and he feels like that is a disadvantage for him。 This book made me take a deeper dive into American prejudice， and also made me realize how internalized it is for children to make fun of each other due to small differences that have no impact in the real world。 I also thought this book was great to have in graphic novel form， since so much of the emotion throughout the story was conveyed through the pictures， and not in the words。 Overall I enjoyed this book， and would recommend it for younger readers who need to learn what it feels like to be an outcast， and then learn to love you for who you are。 。。。more

Reader ，

I started reading and felt very uncomfortable by the use of the stereotyped cousin character。 I'm pretty certain that this is the author's intention。 This book is a satirical look at the Chinese American experience。 You should feel disgusted by racial caricatures as they were created in order to drum up fear and loathing towards Asian-American people。 It's also not funny， but in the past White audiences loved to laugh and show the sneaky， lustful and high performing "slant eyed Asian" racist ste I started reading and felt very uncomfortable by the use of the stereotyped cousin character。 I'm pretty certain that this is the author's intention。 This book is a satirical look at the Chinese American experience。 You should feel disgusted by racial caricatures as they were created in order to drum up fear and loathing towards Asian-American people。 It's also not funny， but in the past White audiences loved to laugh and show the sneaky， lustful and high performing "slant eyed Asian" racist stereotype just as this giggled along with the oh so hilarious minstrel shows depicting people dancing in blackface。I honestly do not think that this should ever be a book for children， as many are not ready or able to pick up on satire。 In libraries and book stores it belongs in the adult section。 Also the dual storyline was not always executed well。There is some sexist content and crude humor that I was not a fan of。 I did not mind the monkey king allegory， but I can see how it might bore and confuse younger readers。 This is not a perfect story or book， but I did gain insight and felt renewed interest in the Chinese American experience。 I am not Chinese， and thus my opinion of whether it is examining or perpetuating racism is not relevant。I find contextualized racism in media to be of great interest。 This is a good article to read: "In Search of Mirrors: An Asian Critical Race Theory Content Analysis of Asian AmericanPicturebooks From 2007 to 2017。" If you're interested in researching Black American racial caricatures I want to recommend the Jim Crow museum （I am a Black American， it was where I started）。 In the future there will be similar museums displaying just how common racist depictions of Asian， Latina and Native people were。 American Indians in Children's Literature is a website that chronicles all of the anti-Native racism inherent in children's books （It is an excellent resource！）。 If you're an educator， librarian， academic or curious person I recommend this website as well。 Looking at these things did not destigmatize racism for me， it made me more aware of how the past depictions of people of color influence today's state of race relations。 。。。more

Erica ，

3。75 stars- still chewing on the metaphors in this book

Corey J。 Boren ，

Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese is an important comic book that highlights the racism and ostracization that young Asian Americans face in the United States。 Oscillating between the stories of Danny， a white American whose cousin from China comes to visit， Sun Wukong， the legendary figure from Journey to the West ， and Jin Wang， who moves from a Chinese neighborhood in San Francisco to a white dominated suburb， it provides several perspectives on the Asian American experience。 Unfortun Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese is an important comic book that highlights the racism and ostracization that young Asian Americans face in the United States。 Oscillating between the stories of Danny， a white American whose cousin from China comes to visit， Sun Wukong， the legendary figure from Journey to the West ， and Jin Wang， who moves from a Chinese neighborhood in San Francisco to a white dominated suburb， it provides several perspectives on the Asian American experience。 Unfortunately， I don't like this book as much as I wish I did。 While the narratives shifted from one to the next in interesting ways， I ultimately found the "twist" ending predictable and disappointing， as I feel it didn't provide any meaningful commentary on what it means to be both Asian and American。 In addition， the connection between Sun Wukong and the other two narratives felt tenuous at best。I have to acknowledge， though， that this book isn't meant for me。 I'm not a young Asian American kid， and I'll never know that intersection of experience。 I'll certainly keep the book around in my library， and maybe read it again once I've read more books on the subject of Asian American youth。 If nothing else， this book reminds me that there are gaps in my reading that need to be filled。 。。。more

Hannah Singleton ，

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang follows different narratives that come together in the end。 The first being the Monkey King from Flower-Fruit Mountain and his rejection from a dinner party due to him being a monkey and his steps to become something bigger although ultimately unsuccessful。 Then we see a young boy， Jin， as he goes to a new school as the only American-Chinese student。 And the third story being Danny and his visits from his embarrassing cousin， Chin-Kee。 These stories all co American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang follows different narratives that come together in the end。 The first being the Monkey King from Flower-Fruit Mountain and his rejection from a dinner party due to him being a monkey and his steps to become something bigger although ultimately unsuccessful。 Then we see a young boy， Jin， as he goes to a new school as the only American-Chinese student。 And the third story being Danny and his visits from his embarrassing cousin， Chin-Kee。 These stories all come together in their theme of identity and acceptance that is really beautiful。tI adored the way in which Yang uses the three different stories as a means of storytelling and the way they each fall into place at the end to create a narrative and message on identity。 The initial story of the Monkey King at the opening of the graphic novel really stood out to me。 As Yang wrote， “When he entered his royal chamber， the smell of monkey fur greeted him。 He’d never noticed it before。 He stayed awake the rest of the night thinking of ways to get rid of it，” （20）。 This immediately made me feel a bit heartbroken as others made something that was different into a bad thing when it isn’t。 But to see how the story from the Monkey King follow through into the story of Danny and the Asian stereotypes that Jin had created in trying to diminish his identity。 And I found it really meaningful to see the reconciliation of Danny and Jin at the end。 。。。more

Chelsea ，

3。5 starsThis story did not take the direction that I was expecting it to， but I really enjoyed it。 The art was vibrant， the dialogue was simple and humorous （yet dealt deftly with sensitive topics like racism and bullying）， and I love that Yang intertwined mythology with contemporary fiction。 The two things I took issue with were: 1） I could not stand the narrative with "Chinkee"， however - it was meant to make the reader uncomfortable， I know， but I hated how over the top it was。2） The ending。 3。5 starsThis story did not take the direction that I was expecting it to， but I really enjoyed it。 The art was vibrant， the dialogue was simple and humorous （yet dealt deftly with sensitive topics like racism and bullying）， and I love that Yang intertwined mythology with contemporary fiction。 The two things I took issue with were: 1） I could not stand the narrative with "Chinkee"， however - it was meant to make the reader uncomfortable， I know， but I hated how over the top it was。2） The ending。 What was that？ I am not satisfied with it at all。A great perspective of being an American Born Chinese， regardless of those blips， however。 。。。more

Joanne ，

Ah， the trouble we could save ourselves if only we gave each other proper respect， including and especially self-respect。 This one was a joy to look at: its palette is bright， its art humorous and fun to look at， and it succeeds in depicting everything from a high school cafeteria to the ‘end of reality’ with a wink and a smile。 To me， the end got a bit confusing in its attempt to merge its trilogy of stories， but nevertheless remained entertaining throughout。

Courtney Griffiths ，

This novel is such a clever way to tell a story like this。 The comic book structure kept it light and palatable。 I loved the way this story had three separate storylines that created a very intriguing and interesting ending。 We need more stories like this。 It teaches empathy and that we all need to be confident in our differences and in who we are。 This story also doesn't skirt around uncomfortable issues。 It faces them head on in a very clever way。 I loved the quote on page 29 from the herbalis This novel is such a clever way to tell a story like this。 The comic book structure kept it light and palatable。 I loved the way this story had three separate storylines that created a very intriguing and interesting ending。 We need more stories like this。 It teaches empathy and that we all need to be confident in our differences and in who we are。 This story also doesn't skirt around uncomfortable issues。 It faces them head on in a very clever way。 I loved the quote on page 29 from the herbalist that says， "it's easy to become anything you wish。。。。 so long as you're willing to forfeit your soul。" I feel like this really sums up the whole book lesson the book is trying to teach。 I highly recommend！ 。。。more

EmmaPorzee ，

This really helped me to lessen my stress！ what a great story， thank you for writing this” If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top

Tiffany Howard ，

I really enjoyed this book。 It's a super fast and fun read。 Gene Yang mixes three stories of three people together in a really interesting way。 He discusses the hazardous outcomes of racism for those targeted by it， as well as accepting yourself the way you are。 There is a lot that one can learn （regardless of race， gender， ethnicity， or anything） about loving yourself the way you are and not trying to fit a mold。 Highly recommend！ I really enjoyed this book。 It's a super fast and fun read。 Gene Yang mixes three stories of three people together in a really interesting way。 He discusses the hazardous outcomes of racism for those targeted by it， as well as accepting yourself the way you are。 There is a lot that one can learn （regardless of race， gender， ethnicity， or anything） about loving yourself the way you are and not trying to fit a mold。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=American Born Chinese

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=American Born Chinese&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,American Born Chinese&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0