Book Talk

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Overview: American Born Chinese is a graphic novel surrounding the story of Jin Wang, a Chinese-American boy struggling to fit in at his new school. The book has three different main stories within it. Jin Wang’s story is the primary one. There is also the story of The Monkey King and the story of Danny and Chin-Kee. All of the stories in the book carry the central idea that these individuals must fulfill their destinies while remaining true to themselves and not conforming to their (sometimes harsh) peers and communities.

Biography:

Gene Luen Yang was born in California. His parents were both from Taiwan, though his mother spent some of her childhood in Hong Kong. His parents emigrated to America and met at San Jose State University. When he was younger, Yang wanted to be an animator for Disney. He attended the University of California, Berkeley where he majored in computer science and minored in creative writing.

Rational:

In terms of the story, the book is important because it deals with themes that are relatable and important for American students. The story deals with tolerance/intolerance, self-acceptance versus group identity, and cultural heritage. Technically speaking, the graphic novel form of the book would make it interesting to bring into the classroom because it will likely be the only graphic novel some of the students have ever read. Also, the fact that it is a graphic novel makes some of the themes, like racial stereotyping, easier to discuss.

Teaching Ideas:

·             It will be interesting to discuss the multiple stories within the book, the ways they overlap and intertwine, and how the very different characters struggle with the same issue.

·             Teaching the way that graphic novels are read will be interesting Students could practice creating visual representations of stories to show the way visual and literary elements go hand-in-hand.

Obstacles:

·             The book has extensive instances of racial stereotyping. Taken out of context, some of the stereotyping could be troublesome. For the most part, Yang uses the stereotyping appropriately to tell the story.

·             There is still some stigma surrounding graphic novels. Although there is plenty of justification for using graphic novels in the classroom, a lot of people still assume all graphic novels are comic books and do not consider them a useful form of literature.

References:

geneyang.com