American Born Chinese
Yang, Gene. American Born Chinese. New York & London: First Second Books, 2006.
Annotation: It is always hard to adjust to a new area. It is even harder when you move from an area that is primarily Chinese to an area that is primarily causation. Jin will have to learn to accept himself and others along the way to happiness.
Justification for Nomination:
Gene Yang, takes a delicate issue and brilliantly mixes it with Chinese myth and humor. From the beginning we are introduced to the myth of the Monkey King. When the king is treated poorly by those unlike him he sets out to be someone else with less than positive results. As this tale plays out we see Jin move from from an area of many Chinese to one that is predominately causation.
Jin has a hard time fitting in and at times lashes out at the other Asian charaters because he is having a hard time excepting himself. This is really brought to life by the introduction of his best friend Wei-Chen, who he initially rejects because of the way he looks and speaks, even though he does not have any other friends. It is also shown in the way Jin creates white ultra ego.
Much of the humor in the book is a result of the addition of a character names Chin-kee. Cousin Chin-Kee is a combination of all of the Asian stereo types one could imagine. Jin despises him and blames him for much of the problems that he is faced with. Ultimately he finds, though Chin-kee, the need to become and accept himself. This is a strong story about realizing how important it is to accept yourself and be happy regardless of your situation.
Genre: Graphic Novel, Printz Award Winner
