American Born Chinese

[asakiyume]

In the spirit of posting something whenever you read it (shoutout to rachelmanija), here's something about American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang. I bought it at the Eric Carle Museum after visiting the exhibition on graphic novels.

I really like the art style, which is simple but expressive. The story is a braided narrative, with the central story being that of Jin, a Chinese American in a town/school with very few Asian Americans. Weaving under and over that story is a Christian-inflected retelling of the story of the Monkey King from Journey to the West and a "comedy" of a seemingly White American boy who's visited by his grotesque racist stereotype Chinese cousin "Chin Kee." Those two strands comment on the main strand, highlighting issues the issues Jin is dealing with.

That structure was clever--but I preferred the Monkey King retelling to the main story. The main story is okay--it's sharply portrayed and has some funny moments (like when the hero uses public bathroom dispenser soap as an emergency substitute for deodorant and ends up depositing bubbles on the shoulder of the girl he's invited to a movie)--but I felt like it walked a familiar path without adding much that was new and without the hero himself gaining much insight. The racist atmosphere in his town/school makes him want to distance himself from his Chinese heritage so he can fit in. As a result he's hurtful to the other Asian American students in his class, and the structure of the story means his change of heart ends up seeming like an externally imposed enlightenment rather than something genuinely earned and learned.

The fact that I liked the Monkey King portion of the story leads me to believe that I'd enjoy Gene Luen Yang's Boxers and Saints, a two-volume story of the Boxer Rebellion, more. I've got it on my to-read list.

Comments

[sovay]

That structure was clever--but I preferred the Monkey King retelling to the main story.

I liked the dovetailing of all three strands—it's possible to see coming, but it's still done well when it arrives—ohg V ybirq gur arj xvq sebz Gnvjna gheavat bhg gb or gur fba bs gur Zbaxrl Xvat jub xabjf jurer gb svaq zvyx grn gung qbrfa'g fhpx. Vg'f whfg n tenpr abgr bs na rcvybthr, ohg V jbhyq purreshyyl unir ernq gur shegure nqiragherf bs Wva rkcybevat ubj gb or zber pbzsbegnoyr jvgu uvzfrys naq Jrv-Pura rkcybevat jung vg'f yvxr gb or uhzna. Gubfr ynfg srj cntrf ner terng.

(rot13 on the theory that someone will care about spoilers.)

[asakiyume]

I'm so excited that you've read this!

I did love the bubble tea detail but more broadly Zl ceboyrz jnf gung V sryg yvxr Wva bjrq Jrv Pura na ncbybtl abg nf gur fba bs n qvivar orvat ohg nf n uhzna. Naq nygubhtu V'z cerggl fher gur nhgube zrnag hf gb haqrefgnaq gung gung **vf** jung'f tbvat ba, gur snpg gung abj Jrv Pura vf n fhcreangheny orvat gbbx njnl sebz jung bhtug gb (gb zr) or n uhzna-gb-uhzna zbzrag bs erzbefr. Sbe zr vg sryg rzbgvbanyyl nxva gb univat gur snezobl ureb va n fgbel ghea bhg gb or n cevapr (abg gung gur pvephzfgnaprf ner cnenyyry, ohg va gur frafr bs nqqvat va n qvfgenpgvat snpgbe gung gnxrf njnl sebz uneq jbex.

Naq V qvqa'g haqrefgnaq ubj--be vs--Wva unq npghnyyl yrnearq nalguvat. V zrna ur qbrf, ohg ol svng. V jnf obgurerq ol uvf gerngzrag bs gur tveyf va gur fgbel. Qbrf ur yvxr Nzryvn nf n crefba, be whfg nf gur nyy-Nzrevpna juvgr tvey jub svgf va jvgu uvf nfcvengvbany frys? Jura gur enpvfg obl gryyf uvz gb fgnl njnl sebz ure... ur whfg qbrf. Fb vf fur whfg na bowrpg ur pna rvgure pynvz be or qravrq? Naq jung gur urpx jvgu uvf gerngzrag bs Fhml? ... V qba'g erdhver zl cebgntbavfgf gb or rayvtugrarq sebz gur fgneg--gung jbhyq erzbir nal punapr bs qrirybczrag va gur pbhefr bs gur obbx--ohg Wva qbrfa'g frrz gb trg orlbaq frrvat crbcyr nf ercerfragngvbaf bs guvatf.

--nyy gung orvat fnvq, V jbhyq qrsvavgryl rawbl gur nqiragherf bs Wva naq Jrv Pura, fba bs gur zbaxrl xvat.

[sovay]

I'm so excited that you've read this!

gaudior and rushthatspeaks lent it to me! Prior to that I knew Gene Luen Yang primarily as the writer for the Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novels—canonical sequels to the series—of which I've read and can recommend the first three volumes and should catch up with the rest one of these days.

Sbe zr vg sryg rzbgvbanyyl nxva gb univat gur snezobl ureb va n fgbel ghea bhg gb or n cevapr (abg gung gur pvephzfgnaprf ner cnenyyry, ohg va gur frafr bs nqqvat va n qvfgenpgvat snpgbe gung gnxrf njnl sebz uneq jbex.

Vagrerfgvat! V nterr gung Jrv-Pura gheavat bhg gb or n fhcreangheny svther tvirf gurve erpbapvyvngvba n zlguvpny qvzrafvba—jura Wva ncbybtvmrf gb Jrv-Pura, ur'f cnegyl ncbybtvmvat gb gur genqvgvba nf jryy nf gb gur sryybj fghqrag gung ur uheg—ohg V qvqa'g srry gung vg fb birejebgr gur crefbany yriry gung vg qvqa'g pbfg nalguvat sbe Wva gb ncbybtvmr, sbe rknzcyr, be gung Jrv-Pura qvqa'g npprcg ba uvf bja grezf engure guna ba orunys bs gur genqvgvba, rfcrpvnyyl fvapr vg'f rfgnoyvfurq va gur pbairefngvba jvgu uvf sngure gung ur unf nonaqbarq uvf fnperq zvffvba bs rzvffnel naq vf abj chefhvat yvsr va gur zbegny jbeyq gb uvf bja raqf.

ohg Wva qbrfa'g frrz gb trg orlbaq frrvat crbcyr nf ercerfragngvbaf bs guvatf.

V guvax gur fgehpgher bs jurer gur obbx raqf qbrfa'g nyybj hf gb frr jung Wva unf be unfa'g yrnearq, orpnhfr vg'f zber nobhg gur zbzrag bs ernyvmngvba guna nobhg jung ur qbrf arkg. Jr whfg trg gur onerfg tyvzcfr bs gung jvgu Jrv-Pura. V qvqa'g svaq vg hafngvfslvat, ohg vg qbrf yrnir n ybg bs ybbfr raqf.

--nyy gung orvat fnvq, V jbhyq qrsvavgryl rawbl gur nqiragherf bs Wva naq Jrv Pura, fba bs gur zbaxrl xvat.

Where there's an audience, there's a market, Gene Luen Yang!

[asakiyume]

Where there's an audience, there's a market, Gene Luen Yang! --Get on it, Mr. Yang! We would read!

And I'm 100 percent sure that how you read it is how it's intended to be read--I can see and comprehend that that's what Yang was aiming for, but for whatever reason, I didn't *feel* it. But I agree that the whole story is working up to Jin's awakening, so to speak, so in a way what I was missing or wanting isn't quite appropriate--you can't be doing addition when you've only just realized there are such things as numbers in the world.

[sovay]

-I can see and comprehend that that's what Yang was aiming for, but for whatever reason, I didn't *feel* it.

That happens. Sometimes it's idiosyncratic; sometimes it's the story's fault.

you can't be doing addition when you've only just realized there are such things as numbers in the world.

That's nicely put.

[sartorias]

I've got both of these. Waiting for the right time to read them. (Ineed to understand a bit more about the cultural substrate.)

[asakiyume]

I'm eager to read them--though I'm eager to read many things, and it's anyone's guess when I get to any particular one.

[larryhammer]

I too liked the Monkey King strands better, but the braiding was done particularly well. We're keeping our copy till Eaglet is old enough to need to read it.

Fair warning about Boxers & Saints: it depicts the Boxer Rebellion from two sides (a Boxer and a Chinese Christian), and neither is lighthearted. Downers, actually. It was not a good conflict on any side.

[asakiyume]

Uff, good to know about Boxers & Saints... I mean, I knew the Boxer Rebellion didn't end well, but....