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Review: American Born Chinese By Gene Luen Yang

636 Words3 Pages

Journey of self-discovery “When I moved here to America, I was afraid nobody wanted to be my friend. I come from a different place. Much, much different than that. a. The number of a. This fear is essential to the novel, American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang because it exhibits the terror of alienation faced by the Asian characters. Set in the 1980s and 1990s, the novel combines three different storylines that face racism to educate readers on the severe issue of social exclusion. This graphic novel, published in 2006, explores Chinese American identity, anti-Asian racism, and assimilation. American Born Chinese follows the stories of the Monkey King, a character who grapples with his pride and ignorance; Jin Wang, a Chinese American student …show more content…

Jin, a young Chinese American boy, begins his journey at a predominantly White school. He notices drastic differences in his new environment and tries to assimilate into American culture. On Jin’s first day of school, he brings out dumplings for lunch while he sits alone and feels hurt. The White American boys make fun of him and tell Jin to “stay away from my dog” (33). With this stereotype, Jin feels ashamed and embarrassed of his culture causing him to feel ashamed of his identity. His experiences of being bullied and marginalized lower his self-esteem and confidence while feeling uncertain about himself. Gradually, Jin Wang experiences the challenges of assimilating into American culture, ultimately seeking acceptance from his peers. After Jin faces issues such as racism, stereotyping, and being bullied by his classmates, he feels the pressure to assimilate the people that surround him. Simultaneously, Jin struggles to balance his Chinese heritage and his desire to conform to American customs. One day, Jin arrives at school with curly, permed hair, instead of his usual straight hair as he tries to discover his physical identity

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