American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang



In American Born Chinese, Yang interweaves three seemingly unconnected stories: the main plot about a young Chinese-American boy, Jin Wang; a subplot about an all-American Anglo teenager, Danny, and his exaggeratedly-Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee; and the legend of the Monkey King. All three stories explore the very human need to fit-in and be accepted in society. This is not only true for minority groups but for us all especially teenagers. People who refuse to accept others and differences always make it harder for individuals.
The illustrations in this graphic novel are vibrant in color and jump off the page. There is plenty of humor and pathos to keep you interested and entertained. The message is clear and understandable, but sometimes we have to read and reread that it is OK to be ourselves.

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