American Born Chinese- Gene Luen Yang

Too many people view graphic novels as a genre, rather than a format. Too often, they are associated with super heroes, or more recently, Japanese manga characters. Only recently have we seen the medium start to receive the critical respect it so richly deserves.

American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang, is one such example of an illuminating and often heart-breaking story told in a manner once described by Will Eisner as "sequential art."

ABC begins as three separate parallel narratives that eventually intertwine themselves into one cohesive strand by the stories end. One is relatively realistic, the other is very fantastical, and the third is satirical, often gut-wrenchingly so.

The main story describes the life of Jin Wang, the "American Born Chinese" boy of the title. He lives in Sn Francisco, and despite the fact that he was born there, is treated as foreign and different by his classmates. When another student from Taiwan, Wei-Chen Sun, joins his fourth grade class he initially does not want to be associated with someone so "FOB" (Fresh Off the Boat). However, they bond over their mutual love of transforming robots and end up becoming best friends with each other. Their friendship grows throughout the story which follows the boys from elementary to high schools.

Jin really wants to fit in with his other classmates, while Wei-Chen remains a tie to his Chinese heritage. This remains a powerful theme throughout ABC: How can an individual exist in between such separate and distinct worlds? Is it possible to exist in one world while at the same time remaining true to or honoring another?

Over time, Jin comes to resent his Chinese heritage, until he remembers the words an old shopkeeper told him when he was a boy, "It is easy to become anything you wish, so long as you are willing to forfeit your soul." In this case what Jin wants is to be American, which in this book means Caucasian, white. Jin has never been treated as an American despite the fact that his citizenship is just as valid as that of his classmates.

Yang has wonderful and thought-provoking things to say about what it means to truly be "American" in the 21st century. It is sometimes very easy to forget that barring American Indians, America is a nation of immigrants, and it is our diversity and our core values of acceptance and tolerance that make us such a great nation. We don't often see these American ideals trumpeted in this day and age of jingoistic, and xenophobic "patriotic" fervor.

The second narrative tells the story of the Monkey King, ruler of the Flower Fruit Mountain, and master of all 12 disciplines of Kung Fu (including the particularly awesome "Hair into Clones" where one can turn strands of hair into clones of oneself). When he is denied entrance to a dinner party in Heaven because he is a monkey, he sets about changing his ways. He begins to wear shoes, he changes his size, and forces his subjects to do the same. In other words, her rejects his heritage in order to try and gain acceptance from another group. Sound familiar? Good, I don't think the parallels between the Monkey King's story and Jin's are a coincidence.

The final narrative takes the form of a television sitcom complete with laughter and applause tracks. It tells the story of Danny, an All-American boy who must deal with the social horrors of the frequent visits by his cousin Chin-Kee. Chin-Kee is a horrifying amalgamation of just about every negative Chinese stereotype you can think of: he has slanted eyes, buck teeth, he switches his "r" and "l" sounds, he eats cats and dogs, he wears a coolie hat, and, unsurprisingly, he is a master of Kung Fu. However, he is enthusiastic and kind, only wanting to have fun with his cousin and experience American society. Danny, of course, is mortified. Chin-Kee's actions guarantee that he will remain a pariah in the harsh social landscape of high school. The struggle between Danny's All-American hopes and dreams and Chin-Kee's stereotypical buffoonery mirror Jin's internal struggle in the realistic narrative. Chin-Kee serves as an example of not only how other students view Chinese culture, but how Jin himself views his culture when it is seen through the lens of American society.

I would do Yang a grave disservice to reveal how ably he weaves these stories together in the end, but I will echo the back of the book: "Three very different characters. One Simple Goal. To Fit In." American Born Chinese is a brave book that challenges the reader to acknowledge that racism exists, even in 21st century America, even in forms that you might not immediately recognize.

American Born Chinese was the first graphic novel to ever be nominated for a National Book Award, and it won the American Library Association's Printz Award for excellence in young Adult Literature.

Check out Gene Yang's website here: http://www.humblecomics.com/

I especially like the Monkey King section, who he describes as "Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, is probably the most beloved fictional character in the Eastern world. He's like the Asian Mickey Mouse, only without the squeaky voice and corporate sponsorship."

The Way We Work- David Macaulay

I've been blogging here for a while now, and although I'm making good progress, and starting to get outside contributions, I've focused almost exclusively on fiction. This review is part of my effort to rectify that situation.

When approaching informative nonfiction, there are few better places to begin than David Macaulay. He's been writing books for years, but he's probably best known for The Way Things Work, his amazingly accessible, readable, and beautifully illustrated guide to...the way things work. And by things he means anything from headphones, to a television, to the space shuttle, to a flush toilet.

Now he returns with his eagerly anticipated The Way We Work, whereupon he turns his finely attuned artist's eye, and keen sense of humor to the human body. Just like with his previous work, TWWW tackles the human body in minute and exacting detail. Ever wonder how your lungs work? How about your colon? spinal cord? memories? how the brain and eye process images? Where poop comes from? How about babies? What's DNA? How do your vocal cords work? This book answers just about every human body question you can possibly ask, including a bunch you never thought to ask, or never really wanted to know the answer to.

Throughout, Macaulay explains these processes in relatively simple English (it might not be appropriate for the total layperson, but anyone with more than a passing knowledge of human anatomy and physiology should be fine) and with breathtaking illustrations. Let's face it, no one reads a Macaulay book for the text.

The art is mesmerizing, anatomically correct, yet far from clinical and detached. Macaulay's work is full of whimsy, whether it's shouted conversations between bacteria in feces or a man pulling aside his stomach to show the viewer the true location of his pancreas. The colors are warm and vivid, and even the most complicated biological processes (Tumor growth? Nerve impulses? Any of your senses? No problem.) are clearly depicted in easy to follow diagrams and sequences.

Check out the following depiction of blood circulating through the body:

Trust me, this ride is worth the wait.

Here's how your nasal cavity works...

After reading this, I'll never feel the same way about snot again.

Check out more of the art here (click on the interior slideshow), or better yet, just buy the darn thing here.

The Way We Work is another informational triumph on Macaulay's part. You could read and reread this book everyday for the rest of your life, and you would still discover something new each time. Highly recommended.

Also, if you're local, there's an exhibition of Macaulay's work at the RISD museum. Check it out before it's gone...

The Tiger Rising- Kate DiCamillo

Today's extra special guest blog comes courtesy of the awesomely- monikered Book Monster. Get ready for an in-depth look at a relatively unknown book from an extremely well known author...

-Sir Readsalot

I read The Tiger Rising, a Newberry Honor book, by Kate DiCamillo. In this book someone named Rob saw a tiger in a cage in the woods and Beauchamp owned him and asked Rob to feed the tiger. Then Sistene, one of Rob’s close friends talked Rob into using the keys to the tiger’s cage Beauchamp gave him to set the tiger free. I think Kate DiCamillo was good at showing Rob’s emotions. When describing Rob’s discovery she wrote, “He was so astounded at his discovery, so amazed, that he stood and stared.”
At times The Tiger Rising was hard to follow, for example when Beauchamp randomly decided to have Rob feed the tiger out of everybody and gave Rob the keys to the cage. I also think this book had interesting vocabulary, like when Kate DiCamillo wrote, “The fog was hugging the ground.” I did not like how The Tiger Rising ended with a problem. I was drawn to this book because I have read other books by Kate DiCamillo and liked them, though I do not like tigers. I recommend this book to people that like moving, as opposed to thrilling stories.

Tiger Rising was a National Book Award Finalist in 2001.

Kate Dicamillo's Website

H.I.V.E.- Mark Walden

I was ready to dislike H.I.V.E., the debut novel from former video game programmer Mark Walden, from the start. It seemed a little too emblematic of everything I dislike about children's literature today: formulaic and designed solely to generate revenue through inevitable sequels indistinguishable from the first. Take a little Artemis Fowl, add a dash of the Mysterious Benedict Society, marinate with the everything is not what it seems school setting from Harry Potter, and viola! you have yourself a best seller. Over the course of the story, I was won over slightly, but I still had some reservations.

H.I.V.E., the Higher Institute for Villainous Education, is a training academy for evil geniuses. It accepts only the best and the brightest, and of course only those with the most potential for mayhem and criminal enterprise. It is situated on a remote volcano compound at an undisclosed location somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The novel centers around Otto Malpense (really? Malpense? Literally "Bad Thoughts.") an orphan from London. Otto's known he was exceptional from an early age, and now, at the tender age of 13, he runs the orphanage where he lives by slightly bribing/blackmailing the director. Otto immediately sets about improving the dilapidated nature of the orphanage, but it's not out of any sense of responsibility and obligation. It's mainly so he can continue to do/exploit/manipulate whatever or whoever he wants whenever he wants. In fact, it's my main beef with the book. Despite his actions later in the book, Otto remains largely unlikable (brilliant and charismatic yes, but still largely unlikable.) Nevertheless, it's easy to see what H.I.V.E. sees in him.

The story begins with Otto regaining consciousness on a helicopter en route to the school. With him is Wng Fanchu as somewhat stereotypical Asian martial arts expert. They quickly ascertain what has happened (they were shot with stun guns and essentially kidnapped) and shortly thereafter they arrive at the school. There they meet the school's director, the nefarious Dr. Nero.

As the perspectives shift we also meet Raven, a beautiful assassin who rocks twin katanas AND an invisibility suit, as well as Professor Pike, a mad scientist type, Colonel Francisco, the instructor of tactical maneuvers, and stealth/reconnaissance instructor who inhabits the body of a cat due to a botched experiment, and H.I.V.E. Mind, a melancholy and surprisingly pliable artificial intelligence who runs H.I.V.E.'s day to day protocols. The reader also briefly meets the mysterious Number One (who has a particularly keen interest in Otto) who even Dr. Nero fears. Otto and Wing also meet other students: Shelby an American cat burglar extraordinaire, Shelby a Scottish computer and technology expert, Nigel Darkdoom, a legacy student hoping to live up to his late father's formidable legacy, and Franz, the German son of a candy magnate/Criminal Mastermind. Franz reminds me of the hilariously rotund German exchange student Uter on The Simpsons.

The students are forced to attend classes like Villainy Studies, Tactical Education, Practical Technology, Biotechnology, and Stealth and Evasion. Otto, used to having his own way and doing whatever he likes whenever he likes, immediately decides to work on an escape plan. Once again, he wants to escape, not because he is philosophically opposed to a school designed to train him in evil, but because he resents its intrusion upon his autonomy. Soon he convinces some of the other students to go along with him.

The rest of the story follows the escape attempt and, believe it or not, a giant mutant carnivorous plant. The action scenes are plentiful, but overall H.I.V.E. serves only as a gateway to its sequel The Overlord Protocol. There is very little resolution in the initial story. Instead of a self-contained narrative, the reader is left hanging and unsatisfied. What is Number 1's interest in Otto? How is Dr. Nero connected to Wing? What will happen to the students of H.I.V.E.? If you really do care, you can read The Overlord Protocol to find out, but I don't think I'll be joining you there.

H.I.V.E. website

The Wanderer- Sharon Creech

Today's blog comes courtesy of Ephos Sapphire, to date the only person to leave the meaning of the name of this blog in comments. Batten down the hatches because the weather's about to get nasty...

-Sir Readsalot

The Wanderer, by Sharon Creech, is an intriguing book. It is a book about a girl named Sophie. She sails across the ocean with her cousins on their ship-The Wanderer-to her grandfather who she calls Bompie. She is an adventurous and tough girl who does everything to help her ship. They go through many storms, especially a very bad one where The Wanderer is thrashed around and everyone is severely hurt. She realizes she is an orphan after telling Bompie and her cousins about her life. You never know what really happens to her parents, but there is a brief hint about it.
This story is all about the hazards of riding a ship. It is a perfect story for children. This book is so interesting you can’t put it down! It’s adventure, and could absolutely happen!