Uncharted Books

A graphic novel that tells three interloping stories, American Born Chinese is a story of identity, racism, friendship and acceptance. Yang tells three stories that eventually blend into one, which follows Jin Wang the only American-Chinese boy in his school, Danny and his cousin Chinese cousin Chin-Kee, and the Monkey King’s quest to join the ranks of the gods. Each story is different on the surface but in their bare essence all portray the same message of trying to find a place to belong.

These stories explore the sense of identity and belonging in the community. Jin being a Chinese-American in a predominantly white town is faced with the crisis of assimilating to a white America or staying true to his identity. As a kid this is not an easy thing to go through alone, all that anyone wants is to fit in and have friends. Danny has a similar situation but for different reasons, his cousin Chin-Kee. Danny has transferred to three schools in three years because of the embarrassment he feels when his cousin Chin-Kee, the most stereotypical depiction of a Chinese man, comes to visit him and in turn embarrasses Danny at his schools. Danny although not Chinese is embarrassed of his relation to Chin-Kee and wants nothing to do with him. The Monkey King rose amongst the ranks of deities but all he wanted was to be accepted as a god. However, his nature of being a monkey demotes him to less than the other deities. The Monkey King masters the disciplines of kung fu to prove his title as a god, but when faced by Tze-Yo-Tzuh he is bounded under a mountain of rock for 500 years.

Each of these characters try to change things about themselves to fit in with their peers, but in doing so lost themselves. When Jin tries to look and act more white to impress a girl he loses some of his closest friends after being rejected, not to mention everything that made him Chinese. Whenever Danny flees from his problems that Chin-Kee caused he loses the experience of high school from the shame and embarrassment of his cousin just because he is Chinese in a white town. The Monkey King earned the freedom of the monkeys, but when studying the disciplines of kung fu lost all interactions with his family and changed his outward appearance to look less like a monkey.

Although I am not Chinese, have went through racial inequality, or heard of the Monkey King story before, this story is something that anyone can connect with. As much as it revolves around the racial disparity, it is more about the value of being true to oneself and being comfortable in your own skin. I would gladly teach this book in a classroom, it was a fun read and something that I believe many people could easily connect with.

An except that I found from The Vector on American Born Chinese and Gene Luen Yang stands out so much and encapsulates the story so well, “Yang adeptly addresses issues such as discrimination, racial self-loathing, and assimilation with humor, crafting a work that is equal parts visually engaging, entertaining, and thought-provoking. Although the novel focuses on the first generation Chinese-American experience, the novel’s messages of yearning to belong and struggling to maintain appearances possess a universality that anyone can connect to. Though published over a decade ago, the novel also addresses issues of identity and appearance that remain relevant in contemporary discussions of race, such as the discussion about code-switching sparked by films like BlacKkKlansman. For its humor, relevance, and ease of readability (it is a very quick read), American Born Chinese should definitely be added to your 2019 reading list.”  I agree with everything that Siri Uppulari has to say about the book and this is that everyone should read at some point.