American Born Chinese

Title: American Born Chinese
Date: 2006
Publisher: Squarefish Books
Writer: Gene Luen Yang
Art: Gene Luen Yang
Colorist: Lark Pien

This 235 page graphic novel weaves three stories, two about American students (one in middle school and one in high school), and one about the mythical Monkey King.

Jin Wang begins the year as the only Chinese-American student at his middle school. When a new student arrives from Taiwan, Jin is hesitant to befriend him in the face of a constant stream of casual racism.

Meanwhile, all-American high school boy Danny is getting along fine until his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee arrives for his annual visit, and proceeds to act the part of every obnoxious Asian stereotype.

While much of this graphic novel is a well-written story about teenagers trying to find a place in a culture full of prejudice, it's the ending that really makes American Born Chinese effective. How these two stories are connected, and how they connect to the myth of the Monkey King is unexpected and original, and it leads into a powerful and clever ending.

I read it in one sitting. The Chin-Kee character is (intentionally) cringe-worthy, but the other characters are realistic and fun. The Monkey King segments are enjoyable parables that add some fantasy action to the early portions of the story before their purpose is revealed.

Rating: 8.5/10