American Born Chinese

The first time I ever heard of this book, it was on the back of the Boxers and Saints covers. (Boxers and Saints are a two-book series by Gene Luen Yang. You'll hear more of that series in future Nerd Alert posts. He also wrote this very book I'm writing about). The second time I heard of American Born Chinese was the reason I decided to read it. My cousin Sophia (who lives in HONG KONG by the way) recommended it for me by email. To tell the truth, it sounded a little slow to me. The whole "monkey king" thing just didn't seem that interesting. But since she was my cousin, and she liked graphic novels too, I decided to read it. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Those of you who don't know, Gene Luen Yang is a genius. I mean, I already knew that from Boxers and Saints, but American Born Chinese confirmed the fact that he is a genius. See, in American Born Chinese, she writes two stories which become metaphors for the other. One is a regular Chinese folk tale; the other is a story of a Chinese boy named Jin in America who is disrespected by his classmates and teachers. But that's not all. The monkey story tangles with his, and new people come and go, and something happens to him. As the story goes on, you understand it more and more. But when you read it the second time, you really get it. It's hard to explain. I would, along with Boxers and Saints, put it on my Top Twenty Graphic Novels List.

Awards: National Book Award finalist and Best Book Award from the Chinese-American Library Association
Ages: 12+
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                                                              American Born Chinese