Response to American Born Chinese

           I went to a BER conference a few weeks ago.  The purpose of the conference was for educators to learn about Young Adult Literature that came to market in 2010.  I was excited to go to this conference because of how excited I have become about Young Adult Literature and to be surrounded by like-minded people.  I was carrying a copy of American Born Chinese with me in my purse to read during breaks and lunch.  The woman next to me struck up conversations about my graphic novel and asked my opinion.  I told her that I was really enjoying the book and that I couldn’t wait to recommend it to many of my students, especially some reluctant readers.  Then, the whole conversation changed.  She asked whether I was worried about my graphic novel being racist; I of course responded that I felt the opposite because the themes of the book test the beliefs both immigrants and non-immigrants hold about their presence in society.  Again, an even more dangerous shift occurred in our discussion.  She started in on a tirade about how she won’t put Anime books on her shelves because she thinks that the depiction of characters’ eyes in these books is racist.  As a white woman, she was offended about the Western style eyes that you see on Asian characters in Anime books.  I simply said that I disagree and that I really enjoy Anime art and am constantly impressed by my students’ Anime drawings.  While American Born Chinese isn’t Anime, this woman lumped it in that category because of the Asian characters.  But I couldn’t stop thinking about it but knew that I was ignorant about the topic.  I did a little bit of research on the Internet on some decidedly sketchy-at-best websites, but I wonder if there is more research regarding this topic.  I found some opinions about Western culture being imposed on the Japanese people, and other beliefs that blond haired and blue eyed are made to be heroes in Manga.  If there is anything that I have learned in this class, it is that there are many things about literature that I don’t know that I don’t know.  Do some consider Anime art to be racist?  I guess I have to add this question to the list but chose to include it in my response because it is something that I would like to see discussed in class. 

            I imagine that I share a common experience with many readers of American Born Chinese; I had absolutely no idea how the three stories were going to be intertwined.  A story about a power-hungry monkey, an Asian boy with typical teenage doubts, and a white boy who is embarrassed about his stereo-typical cousin has absolutely nothing in common.  As a purely aesthetic reader, I really enjoyed seeing these 3 stories come together.  It was both unexpected and enjoyable.  Stories written in this way entertain readers by causing them to constantly think about the connections between the stories.  I found that while I was very into each of the separate stories, I also kept turning the pages to find how they would all be connected.  This book would entice reluctant readers with its visual components but also encourages them with a steady, surprising plot to keep them reading. 

            This graphic novel is very visually interesting.  The cover’s bright color is eye-catching and lures readers with its half image of a teenager.  It is bound like a traditional novel and until one opens it they have no indication that it is a graphic novel.  The interesting visuals continue throughout the book.  Gene Luen Yang illustrates the Monkey King chapters with whimsical images of animals, deities, and battle scenes.  The scene featuring Jin shows a realistic world of people of different shapes, sizes, and race.  While Danny and Chin-kee’s scenes use exaggerated illustrations to rub our noses in the stereotypes our society holds of Asian immigrants.  The visuals come together to create a graphic novel that uses the illustrations to not only tell an interesting story, but also to emphasize the points each chapter strives to make: fantasy, real-world, and perception. 

While the illustrations are used as a tool to emphasize the story being told, the actual plot of the novel discusses intricate themes that can be seen in our American society.  Jin struggles throughout the book to blend in with society around him.  He perms his hair, encourages Wei-Chen Sun to speak English, and shuns traditional Chinese beliefs.  He wants to blend in with the white students and ultimately wants to date Amelia.  Ultimately we discover that Jin wants so badly to be white that, in his mind, he transforms himself into a white boy.  Annually, his stereotypical cousin who exemplifies everything he tries to avoid haunts him.  We learn that these stereotypes are not just ones that American society holds of Asian students, but also the ideals the immigrants try to shed to fit in.  This book would be a great mirror for young readers to look through.  No matter the race, all students could look at this book and realize the struggles that we all face when we try to fit in.  It is especially poignant for students that are either first- or second-generation immigrants as they see themselves trying to navigate society’s ideas and leave those opinions behind.