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American Born Chinese | |||||||
 
| 80% Recommended by our customers. Publisher: First Second Catalog: Book Release date: 2006-09-05 Media: Paperback Number of pages: 240 Ean: 9781596431522 Book Isbn: 1596431520 Reading level: Young Adult  Tip: compare prices with similar booksAuthor:
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| User Reviews: |
 Written on February 20, 2008 Summary: Truly Wonderful American Born Chinese is easily one of the best graphic novels I've read this year. It's a wonderful story for people of all ages that hits home for anyone who's ever struggled with trying to be themselves while trying to find their place in the world. Written on February 10, 2008 Summary: loved by 7th graders My 7th graders love this book. It's visually appealing and hugely popular with my students who are of Asian descent. Even reluctant readers fight over this book!  Written on January 30, 2008 Summary: A difficult book to rate This book is difficult to rate with a single rating because it's "3-1/2" stories: The stories are about the Monkey King of Chinese folklore; American-born Chinese Jin Wang; All-American Danny and his purposefully stereotyped Chinese cousin Chin-Kee; and a "half-story" that ties the three stories together. From the standpoint of the illustrations' style and creativity, I would give the book 5-stars. The story of the Monkey King is very cute. At its core, it follows the traditional tales, but the author also ties in Christian themes. Personally, I liked this spin and give the Monkey King story 5-stars. But for a reader unfamiliar with the Monkey King tales and expecting to learn about him, I'd suggest 3-stars for the same reason I gave it 5-stars. Jin Wang's story is what you'd expect based on the book's title: Jin Wang is an American-born Chinese who has to deal with teasing and discrimination at his American school. These were familiar situations I also experienced, so it echoed with me on a personal level. I give his story 4-stars. I found Danny & Chin-Kee's story both ridiculous and painful to read, which, paradoxically, is what the author intended. It should be considered as satire or social commentary; but nonetheless, I still found it distasteful, despite my understanding of its purpose. I give it only 2-stars. The "half-story" that ties the first three together is well-done and creatively written; I would give it 4-stars on its own, as much as one can separate it from the others. As you can see, Danny's story is the only thing I didn't like about the book, and if one were to average my scores, the book would be higher than 3-stars. But the stories are intertwined and must be considered together as a whole: Danny's story was so ridiculous/distasteful (yet essential to the overarching story), it brings my overall score to 3-stars. Written on January 22, 2008 Summary: A modern fable of greed, pride, and belonging Finalist for the National Book Award and 2007 Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award for Young Adult literature, AMERICAN BORN CHINESE is one of the most acclaimed graphic novels to hit the shelves. Three seemingly different stories weave together at the end for a satisfying finish. STORY #1 - The Monkey King of Flower Fruit Mountain attends a party but is refused entrance because he isn't wearing shoes. This rejection spurs a quest for identity and power that leads to martial arts, battles with the creator of the universe, and a very long curse. STORY #2 - Chinese American boy Jin Wang has moved to a new school and wants to fit in. The friends he makes and the girl he pursues help solidify the feeling he has that he is different and might never assimilate. He and the new boy Wei Chen Sun bond over Jin's Transformer toy, highlighting the proverb that "it's easy to become anything you wish, so long as you're willing to forfeit your soul." STORY #3 - Danny's cousin Chin-Kee comes to stay with him and attends his school for a couple of weeks. The conflict he brings is one of the funniest parts of the novel. Answering all the questions in class, peeing in friends' drinks, eating dead cats for lunch, and speaking with the stereotypical accent are just the beginning. A modern fable of greed, pride, and belonging, AMERICAN BORN CHINESE is worth the quick read. While I'm not convinced it deserved honors above THE BOOK THIEF or THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING: TRAITOR TO A NATION, the award does give credence to graphic novels as a valid literary genre. It's a solid book, an enjoying read, and a welcomed addition to the young adult literature. --- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens  Written on January 11, 2008 Summary: Not All It's Cracked Up To Be Although this book has some merits, I found it falls short of all the acclaim. I was considering it for a college-level course for English majors, but give it the thumbs down. It's just not that complex; it's much better suited for readers of middle-school age. The illustrations are good but the panel-by-panel cartooning is not very sophisticated, and there are no interesting tensions between word and picture. I also found that the narrative wasn't very compelling--maybe because there are so few words (and the pictures don't complicate things sufficiently where the words leave off.) Lastly, I was bothered by the Christianity. While you aren't hit over the head with it by Yang, it's still quite palpable. In my opinion, the book winds up having a kind of feel-good Christian/ creationist message or subtext. Not all readers will be bothered by this element, but it really soured things for me. "American Born Chinese" has some good moments, but Yang doesn't realize the book's potential. It falls flat, and has a real "so what" ending. I won't teach it, and don't recommend it. |
| Comparison map |
| Wondering how the book "American Born Chinese" relates to similar books? Find out at a glance here: |
| Price comparison |
 American Born Chinese |
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 Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood |
 Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (Edition 001) |
 The Book Thief |
 The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor... |
| Our price | $14.53 | $11.55 | $10.36 | $10.65 | $9.59 | $12.23 |
| List price | $17.95 | $16.99 | $12.95 | $13.95 | $11.99 | $17.99 |
| Lowest used price | $1.49 | $7.97 | $6.99 | $3.79 | $6.85 | $7.12 |
| Lowest new price | $2.99 | $9.14 | $7.31 | $4.99 | $6.86 | $8.98 |
| Collectible price | $22.95 | $16.99 | $12.95 | - | $16.00 | $17.99 |
| Catalog | Book | Book | Book | Book | Book | Book |
| Release date | 2006-09-05 | 2007-09-12 | 2004-06-01 | 2008-10-29 | 2007-09-11 | 2006-09-12 |
| Media | Paperback | Hardcover | Paperback | Paperback | Paperback | Hardcover |
| Number of pages | 240 | 240 | 160 | 232 | 576 | 368 |
| Ean | 9781596431522 | 9780316013680 | 9780375714573 | 9780618871711 | 9780375842207 | 9780763624026 |
| Book Isbn | 1596431520 | 0316013684 | 037571457X | 0618871713 | 0375842209 | 0763624020 |
| Reading level | Young Adult | Young Adult | - | - | Young Adult | Young Adult |
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