American Born Chinese is a great graphic novel that deals with the struggles of racist profiling, identity, and trying to change oneself to fit into their surroundings. It revolves around a few main characters:- Jin Wang-- a Chinese boy who moves to a new school and struggles with where he fits in
- Monkey King-- the king of a group of monkeys in a heaven-like place who tries to conform to the other gods' idea of normal
- Wei-Chen Sun-- a new boy to Jin's school who came from Taiwan, and who, we later find out, is the sun of the Monkey King
- Chin-Kee-- the embodiment of all racist Chinese stereotypes who comes to visit his cousin, and who, we later find out is the Monkey King in disguise
- Danny-- Chin-Kee's Caucasian cousin who is embarrassed by his visits, and who, we later find out, is who Jin would become if he allowed himself to change
While this story may be confusing the first time through as to how all of these characters are related, it becomes a story of finding yourself in the midst of people who want you to change. We see the negative effects of trying to fit in to your surroundings (Danny), and we see how to be yourself, no matter what others say (Wei-Chen Sun). Chin-Kee's character prods at all of the readers to stop and think about what they believe about others who are different, including racist stereotypes they may hold. By being so blatant and offensive, Chin-Kee allows us to see how ridiculous and offensive our stereotypes can be. Other characters in the story, including students and teachers, also reveal stereotypical thoughts and how hurtful they can be to those they are directed at. This graphic novel is ultimately a mirror for the reader to see what they believe and how they act on those beliefs. It is a great story for adolescents because it makes them stop and think before they speak or act, something we all struggle with, and how much those words and actions can truly hurt others around us. The story shows us how we are all the same, no matter how we may be different on the outside, pushing the reader to understand that all should be loved despite what makes them unique.
P.S. I would encourage you to watch this video where Gene Yang, author of American Born Chinese, details how this story reflects his own experiences growing up, making the story much more real for the reader because the racism and discrimination he faces is real.
I think (probably inadvertently) you provoked some thoughtful (if not controversial) discussion on this text. What were some of the issues that came up that you were perhaps not expecting when you first designed your activities? What issues might we need to consider when we teach this text? (Again, just pushing back here a bit).
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