American Born Chinese [B0516]

2008 PB in nice condition. Winner of Michael L. Printz and Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. Original Series Now Available on Disney+

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. Recommended for ages 12+

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "This book illuminates how it might feel for a child to be almost torn between identities where they feel rejected (i.e. too American to be Chinese and too Chinese to be American) and coming to terms with the unique identity that belongs to them. I enjoyed it thoroughly."; "I loved the fusion of Chinese folklore and the authors experience growing up as Chinese American to tell his story. The story felt a bit stereotypical, but there is a reason for stereotypes"; "I was bawling my eyes out by the end. Gene Luen Yang tells a compelling story (or, rather, three compelling stories in tandem) that speak to an important truth about the human experience, and I daresay the human soul. Yang is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and, I believe, one of the great storytellers of our day."