AMERICAN BORN CHINESE Written and illustrated by Gene Luen Yang
Original release date: September 5th, 2006
American Born Chinese
Gene Luen Yang
First Second
240 pages
Gene Yangā€™s brightly-coloured graphic novel examination of cultural identity alternates on a chapter-by-chapter basis between three apparently unconnected stories: a retelling of Chinese fable Journey To The West (known to 1980s Australian kids as the ABC TV series Monkey); a slice-of-life dramedy about Chinese-American Jin Wang dealing with a new school and his first crush (on an American girl); and a third story, constructed like a sitcom (complete with laugh track), about popular high-schooler Dannyā€™s attempts to cope with a reputation-crushing visit from his cousin Chin-Kee, a living embodiment of the worst Chinese stereotypes.
With a complexity belied by the simple art style, Yangā€™s elaborately-structured narrative leads to a major pay-off, inducing both laughs and cringes along the way. Very impressive, and almost impossible to put down.
Owen Heitmann
