Emily+M

I tried to find more about those awards and I couldn’t. Even though the book won awards, it should be taken with a grain of salt considering that that awards are insignificant. I think that it might have been chosen because of it’s different take on novels and the treatment of others. I would have not chosen American Born Chinese because of its lack of (for lack of a better word) story. Reading it was nearly painful, for the yarn was quite a yawn.
 * 1) //**American Born Chinese**// **is the first graphic novel to win the Printz Award and be a finalist for the National Book Award. Why do you think it was picked for these awards and honors? Would you have chosen it? Explain.**
 * 2. Graphic novels appeal to a variety of people. There are a variety of graphic novel genres such as fantasy, super-hero, non-fiction, etc. Have you read graphic novels in the past? How did //American Born Chinese// compare? Graphically speaking what appealed to you? What did not?**

I have never read a graphic novel before. Since I haven’t read any graphic novels previous to ABC, I have little grasp on what it should be like. From the bits and pieces that I do know, I can conclude that ABC’s art style and story does not hold a candle to the usual contents of a graphic novel. Usually, when I think of graphic novels, I think of detailed pencil sketches with interesting characters. Not a simple cartoon that’s story relied on little (and poor) dialogue.


 * 3. Did you find the graphic novel an effective way for Yang to tell his story?**

I suppose so. It was probably the most public option, for even fewer people would have learned about his story if he didn’t choose that choice. But quite honestly, I wouldn’t even call this his story. He may have experienced some of the negative stereotypes, but it still isn’t about his personal journey. I felt kind of gypped of his personal feelings of being treated throughout his childhood.


 * 4. Yang uses humor to make light of experiences that are not so humorous for the immigrants that experience them. Often when reading we laugh at painful experiences of the characters. Have you or anyone you've known had experiences that were funny to others, but very painful to you? If possible, explain**. **Do you think Yang used the technique of humor appropriately?**

My first cousins (once removed) are quite a handful at times (two families of four!), and their mother gets over it by laughing (such as the common “Taylor broke my favorite vase with his toy airplane? Oh that is too precious! Ha!” I find her method, to be put frank, insane. It’s good to laugh to get over the small things, but trying to ignore or deny that bad things happened to you won’t get you very far in life. I didn’t find much of ABC funny, so no, I would say that he used it properly. ** The Monkey King unleashes his wrath on the ones who mocked him and completely changes himself in order to fit in. The lesson is to not let others control who you truly are. ABC teaches us that we aren’t anywhere near being a perfect society and that there are steps that anyone can do to help others. 6. Yang uses a television show to tell Chin-Kee's story. Why do you think he does this? Was it effective? Why? ** I think that Yang used a television show because a lot of dramatic TV shows feature negative stereotypes against different races. I don’t really think it was effective at all since the whole book fell flat for me. It just wasn’t enjoyable, and I expected more of Yang’s “life story”. ** 7. The Monkey King chooses to be stuck in the mountain of rocks for 500 years, and to escape he must return to his "true form." How do the other characters experience this in //American Born Chinese//? Have you experienced a similar situation in your life? ** When Jin “changes” (not really sure what to call their fusion…) into Danny, Chin-Kee/the Monkey King reminds him to be who he really is instead of hiding behind a mask. I don’t really think I faked being myself at all. Sure, I am much more outgoing with my old friends than I am here. But at Crefeld, it’s much more fun to just observe whatever crazy things happen that day (fairly) quietly. 8. Wei-Chen's transformer robot monkey symbolizes so much in the graphic novel. How do the characters in //American Born Chinese// "transform" themselves for American society? Do you "transform" yourselves? Why? **
 * 5. What can be learned from the Monkey King and //American Born Chinese//?

Jin refused to act like he was “FOB”, and preferred to speak English to Wei-Chan. Jin notices that Amelia is extras friendly with Jeff, so he (tries to) copy Jeff’s hair style. Danny also tries to transform himself by trying to distance himself from Chin-Kee. He wants no relation with his cousin and does the best he can to correspond with the other kids in his school. I don’t think I transform myself in a major way for others. I might wear a smidge of makeup to present myself nicer, but I don’t dress all special for school because I don’t care what people think of my clothes. I much rather people think of me for other things than of my clothes. Also, I notice that I tend to act differently around certain people. For instance- I might tone down my language around my more innocent friends, but act silly with my best friend.