American Born Chinese

While I was really excited to read Maus, I was a little apprehensive about reading American Born Chinese. I had never heard of this book before we were assigned to read it; not only that, but I don’t know much about Chinese-American culture. This is a bit of a strange thing to admit, as I have Chinese-American friends, students and family members, but as far as their family’s culture and their current culture goes, I am very much uneducated.

I wouldn’t go as far as to say my views of Chinese-American culture included visions of Chin-Kee, because his character (for good effect) is too strong of a stereotype; however, I can say my ideas of Chinese-American stereotypes affected my interest in reading this book. I hate to admit my stereotypes and prejudices, but I honestly thought this book was going to be about ancestors, family honor and the sort of reverence for elders and traditions that I typically associate with Chinese texts. I suppose I’ve read several modern writers who use these themes in their books to talk about the loss of tradition and Chinese identity, but I had missed that point and lumped Chinese texts into a tradition-loving, family-revering heap. This book surprised me, because it touched on these themes of loss of tradition and Chinese identity without touching what I view as stereotypes. To me, it was more of a real novel that had power beyond the Chinese-American audience. It was a worldly book about adolescence, identity, power and navigating the social world. It speaks to more than just adults and adolescents, Americans and non-Americans, people of many different ethnicities and cultures and, well, to me, it’s a book that can speak to just about every person.

This was a fantastic book and a very quick read. I was so impressed by how this book uses the graphic novel medium to its advantage. The experience felt more like watching a movie than reading a book. It used visuals to its advantage, such as pauses for dramatic (or comedic effect), characterization through visuals, and style. For example, the parts with Danny and Chin-Kee look like a sitcom, which it is supposed to reflect.

This book used humor effectively. It uses it to keep the reader interested and entertained, but to also further the theme. For example, on page 48, Danny’s father is seen in the background carrying Chin-Kee’s luggage. His luggage is not a suitcase, but three take-out containers. It is a subtle addition, but serves as humor and an introduction to how ridiculous Chin-Kee’s stereotype is. It also catches the reader off-guard a bit. Sure, I don’t believe that Chinese travelers use giant take-out containers to carry their clothes and toiletries when they go on trips. I do, however, subconsciously associate those containers with Chinese culture. I felt as if I were ‘called out’ during that scene for my subconscious associations, even if I consider myself an open and accepting person.

I was a little disappointed in the ending in that I saw how the stories were connected, but the fantasy twist confused me. I didn’t have enough time to suspend my belief and understand the supernatural connection between all three stories. To deal with it, I wrote the ending off as some sort of dream. I like the supernatural connection, in theory, but I’m such a skeptic that I distrust supernatural explanations that are thrown at me. Even though I did struggle with accepting the ending, it did not ruin the experience of reading the book for me. The book was just very enlightening and enjoyable. I loved the quick, television-like pace of the story; I also think it’s one I could read several times more to pick up on additional themes and subtleties. Most importantly, I think it’s a book I can put in my classroom library and students will pick it up, read it, and love it.