American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese
by Gene Luen Yang
Published by Square Fish (2006)
233 pages; ages 13+

Synopsis: Jin Wang lives in America but was born of Chinese parents. He feels left out at school as people make fun of him. When he develops a crush on Amelia, he is told not to date her because he's "not the right kind of person." Danny is a Caucasian whose Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee, comes to visit. Chin-Kee is a stereotypical Chinese kid who is socially awkward and who embarrasses Danny. The Monkey King is denied entrance into a dinner party for gods. He decides to be anything but a monkey and so transforms himself. These three stories come together to show how the characters want to be anyone but themselves.

Genre: Graphic novel; Supernatural; New Realism/Problem

Warning: brief language, racial slurs and stereotypes, and mild sexual content

Recommendations: The Motherless One by Gene Luen Yang; The Rosary Comic Book by Gene Luen Yang; Maus by Art Spiegelman; Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah