# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ultimately, the moral of AMERICAN BORN CHINESE is not especially profound. Gene Luen Yang's three storylines converge to deliver the message of be who you are. Resist the urge to assimilate. Be proud of your heritage and stop trying to deny it. What makes this such an enjoyable and effective story is the way he tells it. Yang throws three competing narratives at the reader, all of which wind up converging in exciting and unexpected ways. One of them is a slice-of-life account of a young Chinese-American student who moves to a new town and finds himself on the receiving end of his almost entirely all-white class. The second storyline involves a mythical monkey-king who is denied access to a party in heaven and responds by trying to elevate himself to a higher class of deity. The third storyline involves an all-American high school student who is tortured by his (inexplicably) Chinese cousin Chin-Kee, the personification of every negative Chinese stereotype imaginable.

This narrative strategy is what prevents the book from devolving into a heavy-handed exploration of both racism and self-hatred. By starting with the colorful tale of the Monkey King, Yang begins the book on a fantastical note. The shift to the story of Jin Wang, the young Chinese-American boy who only wants to fit in. Yang deftly folds humor into what is clearly a painful story to tell. Some of the humor winds up having unexpected repercussions, like when he tells an apothecary's wife that he wants to be a Transformer when he grows up, and she tells him that he can do it easily, as long as he doesn't mind losing his soul-and he eventually does.

What really gives the book its power is Yang's shockingly awful Chin-Kee, a stereotypical buck-toothed, slant-eyed, yellow-skinned simpleton. This use of this out-of-nowhere boogeyman of a racial stereotype who comes along once a year to humiliate his blond & blue-eyed cousin Danny is an audacious choice by Yang. The use of a stereotype to attack stereotypes is a risky move, but the same technique of alternating narratives that breaks up the tone of Jin Yang's story serves to provide relief from Chin-Kee. He's funny and horrible and while clearly a satiric figure (who later serves a very specific and unexpected purpose), he also seems to be a bit of a cathartic exercise for the author.

Jin Wang meets a new boy in his class named Wei-Chen, who was sent to America from Taiwan. Jin initially wants nothing to do with him, but they eventually become friends. Meanwhile, we follow the Monkey King's saga as he's punished by god and buried under a pile of rock after he tries to be anything but a monkey. Things escalate from there in each of the three storylines as things go very wrong for all of our protagonists, but it's Jin selling his soul that proves to be a key moment for all three narratives.

Yang's skill as a storyteller is what makes AMERICAN BORN CHINESE work. His playful art, vivid colors and clear layouts make the book a pleasure to look at as well as read. The stories are deceptively simple, but minor details later take on greater significance in clever ways. The end result is an examination of some very real and painful issues successfully integrated with memorable characters and a compelling story.

Rob Clough fights cancer by day, and writes about comix, college basketball and funky music by night. He is the comics editor of Other magazine and is happy to have published many fine cartoonists. He used to write for Savant and just finished something for idea-bot. He is married to award-winning poet Laura Clough (formerly Jent), with whom he lives in lovely Durham, NC.

See more, including free online content, on Rob Clough's author page.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Identity, Shame and Confrontation: American Born Chinese

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ultimately, the moral of AMERICAN BORN CHINESE is not especially profound. Gene Luen Yang's three storylines converge to deliver the message of be who you are. Resist the urge to assimilate. Be proud of your heritage and stop trying to deny it. What makes this such an enjoyable and effective story is the way he tells it.

# data[].attributes.body
this s*** goes deep

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Welcome to Using Graphic Novels in Education, an ongoing feature from CBLDF that is designed to allay confusion around the content of banned books and to hel p parents and teachers raise readers. In this column, we exami ne books that have been targeted by censors and provide teaching and discussion suggestions for the use of such books in classrooms
This month, we take a closer look at American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.

American Born Chi neseis a 2006 National Book Award Honor Book for Young People's literature, the 2007 winner of the Michael L. Printz Award honoring literary excellence in Young Adult literature, the winner of the 2007 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album, and a 2007 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year. In this work, Yang skillfully weaves three seemingly independent stories of Chinese folklore, a teenager's need to fit in, and adolescents' balancing of their Chinese American heritage.
SUMMARY
In an effort to show and tell the effects of racial stereotyping and assimilation, Yang presents one particularly egregious Chinese character, Chin-Kee, who has just arrived from China to visit his cousin Danny. Chin-Kee embraces all the negative Chinese stereotypes into one monstrous exaggerated whole. Chin-Kee's eyes are pupil-less slits, he is drawn with a cartoon-like round face with two buck teeth. He wears traditional Chinese garments and speaks with the L/R switch ("Harro Amellica!").

It is this rampant stereotyping that has caused objections. Ironically, it is these exaggerations that empower readers to feel the shame of racial stereotyping from all sides - those who embrace the stereotypes, those who abuse and make fun of them, and those who are stuck in the middle, uncomfortable with these actions and reactions, and often uncertain how to respond.

While this book has not been banned - to a large extent as a result of the tremendous support it has received from librarians and educators - it has often been deemed inappropriate because of its blatant stereotyping. American Born Chinese is a brilliant weaving of cultural mores, expectations and racial stereotypes all battling assimilation and inherent justice, with ones' need to fit in. It is a testament for all readers who struggle with developing and maintaining individual identities while fitting in with their larger more diverse communities.

American Born Chinese is much like a poem for three voices. It tells three stories in three parts which come together at the end.

Story 1 - The Monkey King begins "One bright and starry night" and introduces the Monkey King, who has been the leader of Flower Fruit Mountain since he was "born of a rock." He hears a party in the heavens and as a deity in his own right rises through the heavens to join them, only to be laughed at because while he "may be a king...even a deity [he is] still a monkey." The Monkey King returns to his home and lays awake, thinking of how he can change his fate.

The Monkey King, angry at his rejection decrees that all his subjects wear shoes (they have an awful time of it in the trees), and he retreats to master various disciplines of Kung Fu. After years of practice and fervent study, he emerges transformed, larger than life, with a mission to show the other gods that he is now "a great sage equal of heaven." He bullies and beats the other gods, who cry to Tze-Yo-Tzuh (He Who Is) for help. Tze-Yo-Tzuh asks him why he is such an angry monkey. The Monkey responds in anger that he is not a Monkey but a god. Part II ends with the Monkey King being trapped by Txe-Yo-Tzuh under a mountain of rocks for 500 years. The last part of his story is a tale of a hero's trial / quest, acceptance, and redemption.

Story 2 - Jin Wang's Story begins with, "My mother once told me an old Chinese parable..." and shows Jin Wang in the backseat of his family's car looking sad while playing with a transformer, and retelling the parable. They are moving (again) and he is upset. He later tells his mother's new herbalist that one day he wants to be a transformer, and she responds, "It's easy to become anything you wish...so long as you're willing to forfeit your soul."

When Jin Wang gets to his new school, his teacher makes false assumptions about his personal information when introducing him. She introduces him as "Jin Jang" and tells the class he's from China. He meekly and embarrassingly corrects her: his name is Jin Wang, and he's from San Francisco. At school Jin is always alone. His classmates make fun of his food and Chinese heritage, and the only kid who befriends him is the school bully who merely taunts him. A few years later another boy, Wei-Chen Sun, who has just come from Taiwan, is introduced to the class with a different teacher making similar false assumptions and mistakes (he is introduced as Chie-Chen Chun, from China). Unlike Jin Wang, Wei-Chen has a thick accent and even though Jin is sitting alone with no friends, he wants nothing to do with Wei-Chen...until he sees him playing with a transformer.

Jin-Wang's story continues with him in junior high-school. He has a crush on a girl in his class, Amelia, and is shy. His friend, Wei-Chen calls him a "turtle." Eventually, Jin decides that the only way he'll be able to successfully woo Amelia is if (like the Monkey King) he changes his appearance - to look more like the others. He "transforms," and the rest of his story depicts the strains he puts on his friendship with Wei-Chen as he courts Amelia along with the challenges of young love.

Story 3 - Danny and Chin-Kee's Story, Part 1 opens with an image of Chin-Kee's face - a cartoon-like caricature of a Chinese face with slits for eyes, two buck teeth, braided hair, and cap, with the title splashed across the page: "Everyone Ruvs Chin-Kee." The story then unfolds in the pages to follow. Danny, about to ask his lab partner, Melanie, for a date finds out Chin-Kee is arriving for his annual visit. Danny is horrified. Chin-Kee arrives, sees Melanie and wants to bind her feet and to meet another girl like her in Danny's school for a bride of his own.

Danny and Chin-Kee's story continues with Danny taking Chin-Kee to school. Danny is constantly embarrassed by Chin-Kee, who sometimes gives valid reason for this response and sometimes does not. As Danny tries to integrate into his new school and blend in, Chin-Kee is constantly making sure everyone is aware of his presence. He sings loudly in the library (in his thick Chinese accent), he plays a prank on a "jock" Danny is trying to impress, and in each class Chin-Kee immediately shouts out the correct answers before anyone else can respond.

Towards the end, however, Danny and Chin-Kee's story merges with Jin Wang's and the Monkey King's. We find out how they are all related, and are left to contemplate life's choices, cultural and self-identities, assimilation, acceptance, and friendship.
TEACHING/DISCUSSION SUGGESTIONS: Cultural Heritage, Cultural Diversity, and Character Development

In short this is a story a of heroes, large and small, who must learn how to best fulfill their destinies while maintaining their identities and self-worth in communities that don't always appreciate their strength and value.
Language, Literature, and Language Usage
Throughout American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang discusses:
Modes of Storytelling and Visual Literacy

Tolerance and intolerance of those who are different;

Self-concept versus group identity;

Cultural definitions and boundaries;

Folklore and its influence in cultures, customs, and values;

Irony and justice;

Concept of "hero" and his / her personality traits versus physical characteristics

Means of achieving acceptance and redemption.

Discuss the similarities and differences between American and Chinese folklore (along with any other cultures represented in your classroom / community / reading group).

Discuss what it feels and looks like to be "different" from others and the importance of "fitting in." Are there differences among looking different, acting different, and feeling different? If so, what are they and why? You may also want to address when it is worth changing to to fit in and when it is not.

Divide the class into groups, each one representing a different racial / social / religious minority. Have them research the folklore of their target group and select their favorite tale. Then, have them write a script and reenact that story for the class. After group presentations, discuss the different folktales, in particular their similarities and differences, their lessons, and their impact.

Discuss the pursuit of dreams and what the herbalist meant when she said, "It's easy to become anything you wish...so long as you're willing to forfeit your soul."

Discuss when one should forgive and forget and when one should fight or at least stand up for themselves and their community.

Discuss how cultural values, folklore, styles, and preferences are woven into each of Yang's three stories.

Compare and contrast the White students' reactions to Chin-Kee versus Danny's reaction to Chin-Kee. Are there differences? Should there be differences?

Compare and contrast how the characters of Jin Wang, Wei-Chen, and The Monkey King develop and grow. How are their courses similar and how are they different?

Point out that Yang leaves us to wonder about the path and life choices Wei-Chen will take. Discuss the options he might take and the probability of his taking them. Discuss why Wei-Chin's character is the one least resolved.

Define and discuss "stereotyping"

Why we do it

Pros and cons

How prevalent it is in our daily lives

How hurtful it can be

How it has influenced, shaped, and determined by national and international incidences and reactions

Discuss rationale for racial profiling for "security" - its pros and cons

What we can do to fight it

Suggested Prose Novel and Poetry Pairings

Yang's three stories are told much like poetry for multiple voices. Compare and contrast the structure and effectiveness of his storytelling versus that of multiple-voice poems. [Note: See suggested multiple-voice poetry links below.]

Search for and discuss the many instances of irony across the three stories and how Yang uses it to shape the stories.

Search for and discuss Yang's use of idioms, slang, colloquialisms, and similes throughout American Born Chinese.

Plot and compare the author's use of language (vocabulary, slang, similes, idioms, etc.) and images as he relates and separates the three stories in the beginning and then relates and merges the stories towards the end. Discuss how Yang uses these tools as he weaves his story.

Create a working definition of "hero." Then, plot and compare the heroes in each of the three stories. Compare and contrast how well each hero fits the definition, and why there may or may not be discrepancies. You may want to introduce Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey" and analyze how Yang's characters "fit" into Campbell's template. [See links in resources below.]

Have students research and share their own cultural folklore. Compare and contrast how the stories are told / written.

In graphic novels, images are used to relay messages with and without accompanying text, adding additional narrative and dimension to the story. Compare and contrast Yang's use of verbal versus visual imagery. Discuss with students how images can be used to relay complex messages. For example:
Common Core State Standards

Compare and contrast the opening images and words for each of the stories (page 7, page 23, and page 43). How do the words and the images help distinguish the stories and set their respective tones?

Have students hunt for visual and verbal examples of stereotyping throughout the book. Compare and contrast the visual and verbal means Yang uses to portray these stereotypes.

On page 23, we see a young Jin Wang in the backseat of his parents' car, crying while playing with a transformer and introducing a Chinese parable told by his mother. Discuss how the author relates Jin's sadness and the flashback to the parable through image.

On page 30 and then again on page 36, Jin Wang and Wei-Chen are introduced by well-meaning but clueless teachers to their classmates. Discuss how the images and text interact relaying the diverse actions and reactions of the students and teachers.

On page 67, we see various gods, many of them bruised and battered and complaining to Tze-Yo Tzuh about the Monkey King. Discuss how these gods are portrayed in this folktale. Compare and contrast these gods with other gods of myths, such as those found in Greek pantheon. Discuss how Yang is able to incorporate Chinese cultural aspects into his portrayal of the gods.

For greater discussion on literary style and/or content here are some prose novels and poetry you may want to read with American Born Chinese:
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar D'Aulaire: An introduction to the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece. Note that George O'Connor (First Second Books) is also putting out an exceptional collection of graphic novels accurately and creatively retelling the stories of the Greek gods.

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices and Poems for Four Voices,both by Paul Fleischman: Poignant, playful, powerful poetry for multiple voices.

Dragonwings by Laurence Yep: An award-winning (Phoenix Award from the Children's Literature Association and runner-up for Newbery Medal) historical novel depicting the Chinese American experience in San Francisco shortly after the turn of the twentieth century.

The Absolutely True Story of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie: About a bright motivated young Native American who must decide between a long commute to a better all-white school off the reservation (and face ridicule from white kids he must befriend and from his local friends he leaves behind) or to remain with his friends at the reservation's limited high school and head nowhere fast.

A Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston: A memoir about their family's internment at the Manzanar concentration camp during World War II, where upstanding and honorable Japanese Americans were sent during the war simply because they shared a cultural heritage with our enemy.

So Far from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins (semi-autobiographical memoir): This work takes place during the last days of World War II as Yoko and her family flea from their home in Nanam, North Korea and end up, eventually in the United States, and must face hardship and ridicule throughout their arduous journey.

All images (c) Gene Luen Yang.
This book of identity, self-worth, assimilation, and racial tolerance is full of advanced vocabulary, simile, slang, idioms, and cultural folklore. It promotes critical thinking, relates a hero and a coming of age story laden with issues of cultural and self-identity, justice and friendship, all done through verbal and visual story telling that addresses multi-modal teaching, and meets Common Core State Standards including:

Craft and structure: Determining the meaning of words and phrases including figurative and connotative meaning; analyzing how particular sentences, chapters, scenes or stanzas fit into the overall structure of a text; explaining how a point of view is developed; analyzing how a text's structure or form contributes to its meaning; analyzing a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States; and describing how a text presents information.

Integration of knowledge and ideas: Comparing and contrasting texts; distinguishing among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text; analyzing how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works describing how the material is rendered new; analyzing how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific way.

Vocabulary acquisition and use: Determining the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases; demonstrating understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in world meanings; and acquiring and using accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases.

Research to build and present knowledge: Drawing evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Meryl Jaffe, PhD teaches visual literacy and critical reading at Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth OnLine Division and is the author of Raising a Reader! and Using Content-Area Graphic Texts for Learning. She used to encourage the "classics" to the exclusion comics, but with her kids' intervention, Meryl has become an avid graphic novel fan. She now incorporates them in her work, believing that the educational process must reflect the imagination and intellectual flexibility it hopes to nurture. In this monthly feature, Meryl and CBLDF hope to empower educators and encourage an ongoing dialogue promoting kids' right to read while utilizing the rich educational opportunities graphic novels have to offer. Please continue the dialogue with your own comments, teaching, reading, or discussion ideas at meryl.jaffe@cbldf.org and please visit Dr. Jaffe at http://www.departingthe text.blogspot.com.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Using Graphic Novels in Education: American Born Chinese

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome to Using Graphic Novels in Education, an ongoing feature from CBLDF that is designed to allay confusion around the content of banned books and to hel p parents and teachers raise readers.

# data[].attributes.body
i've found one

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The first comic that cartoonist Gene Luen Yang ever bought was a two-in-one issue that featured a man made out of rocks and an intergalactic cyborg. He loved comics, especially the kind that featured space aliens. So he started making his own.

He and a friend drew comics and sold them for 50 cents each. Among their earliest creations were the "Trans-Smurfers," Smurfs who transformed into robotic fruit. They also flew and fought crime.

But as his comic book interests morphed into a career, Yang began to to introduce more of what he calls "intimacy" into his stories, more autobiographical moments.

"When you read a well-done comic book, it's like reading a page out of somebody's diary," Yang told his audience at the 2007 National Book Festival. "Nowadays, the most popular comics, the most well-received comics are things like 'Maus' and 'Persepolis,' where you really get this intimate interaction between the reader and the creator." ("Maus," by cartoonist Art Spiegelman, documents his father's tales as a Holocaust survivor, and Marjane Satrapi's graphic memoir "Persepolis" follows the author in her teen years in Tehran, Iran, during the Islamic Revolution.)

Six years after "Persepolis" was published, Yang released "American Born Chinese," a graphic novel that detailed what it's like to grow up Asian in America.

Although the work, released 10 years ago this month, doesn't completely shy away from the superhero tradition of comics, the graphic novel is grounded in small school-age moments that weigh heavily on its Asian-American characters: the well-meaning teacher mispronouncing a student's name, the blatant racism found in schoolyard taunts and difficulties of trying to fit in.

The book features Cousin Chin-Kee (as in "chinky") who is a mishmash of some of the worst historical - and modern - American stereotypes used against Asians.

"Sometimes a stereotype needs to be dressed up in bright yellow skin and a queue in order for folks to recognize its severity," Yang once said. (Queue refers to a hairstyle historically worn by men in China.)

"Chinese" won several awards and became the first graphic novel to be nominated for the National Book Award. Yang has since worked on "Avatar: The Last Airbender" comics, released a set of two graphic novels on the Boxer Rebellion called "Boxers & Saints," and is partly responsible for a new spin on Superman for DC Comics. "New Super-Man" chronicles how a 17-year-old in China inherits the Man of Steel's powers.

After receiving a "genius" grant from the MacArthur Foundation last week, the PBS NewsHour spoke with the award-winning author on "American Born Chinese," the inspiration behind the grotesque Chin-Kee, and the one regret he has about his cherished graphic novel.
Congratulations on the MacArthur award! What's it like being dubbed a MacArthur genius?
It was completely out of left field. It has not stopped being nuts. It's something that's been really hard for me to wrap my head around.
You're one of few cartoonists to be crowned a genius in the history of the award. As someone who has said that "comics don't make you sexy," how has public opinion of comics changed in the past decade?
I still stand by that statement, but I do think comic books have gotten a little bit sexier, not to the point of actually being sexy yet though. I do think it's really different now than when I started.

I started doing comics as an adult in the mid to late 90s. Back then, nobody knew what a graphic novel was. The graphic novel section in most libraries was stuck with non-fiction. You'd go to a bookstore, and maybe they'd have a shelf of graphic novels, or they would shelve "Calvin and Hobbes" next to "Maus." It wasn't the same general public awareness that there is today. So I feel incredibly lucky to be involved in comics during this incredible growth period.
Your award-winning graphic novel "American Born Chinese" was released 10 years ago this month. It's a coming-of-age tale that ultimately weaves three stories together. Can you tell me how this particular graphic novel got started?
When I started, it was not a graphic novel. I started "American Born Chinese" as a mini comic series. So I would finish a chapter. I'd print it up at my local Kinko's. I'd staple it by hand, and then I'd sell it. I'd sell it through stores, mostly at [University of California,] Berkeley. There was a store called Comic Relief that use to carry comics on consignment. I'd try to sell it by hand. At the end of the day, maybe I'd sell a dozen or two. At that time, I had a dream of eventually collecting it into a graphic novel, but to have it full color. To have it from the big book publishers, that was well beyond what I was thinking at the time.
Why was "American Born Chinese" a story best told in comic form?
For about five years, I had done a few stories with Asian American protagonists, but their cultural heritage never played an important part of the story. I knew I wanted to do some kind of story where that was the focus, because my own cultural heritage played such an important part in how I find my place in the world.

For "American Born Chinese," I really wanted to tackle stereotypes head on. I just think it's more powerful when you do it visually. Like, if I were to describe the Cousin Chin-Kee character to you in text, I don't think it would have the same sort of emotional impact as seeing him on the page.
Right. The character of Cousin Chin-Kee, who is an amalgamation of some of the worst stereotypes of yesteryear, is a needle scratch as soon as he appears in the graphic novel. Can you tell me about his creation?
What I really wanted to do was tie historical images of Chinese-Americans, Asians, and Asian-Americans with what I was seeing in pop culture at the time. I think the modern American can look at the buck-toothed images of Chinese and Chinese-Americans that were really prevalent in the late 1800s or early 1900s. As modern Americans, we can recognize that as racist, but then there were also a lot of things that were happening all around me that I felt were connected to that, but most people didn't draw that connection.

For instance, in the early months of working on the book, an incident happened that we now refer to as the Chinese spy plane incident, where a Chinese or American fighter plane went down in or around Chinese air space depending on how you took the facts.

As a response, an American by the name of Pat Oliphant drew this political cartoon of Uncle Sam going into a Chinese restaurant and being served by a slant-eyed, buck-toothed waiter. He's served a plate of "crispy fried cat gizzards with noodles."

So, when I saw that, to me, it was obvious. It was obvious that Oliphant was drawing from the same old racist roots. I was just a little bit shocked that nobody else thought that way. In the book, I wanted to connect those things together.

There were lots of other things too: The popularity of William Hung is very controversial among Asian-Americans. He was the "American Idol" contestant. A lot of people feel that there was something racist about how infatuated America got with him.
I hadn't realized that some of the racist inspirations for Chin-Kee were culled from times as early as the aughts. Since "American Born Chinese" has been published, can you name other moments in American pop culture when Cousin Chin-Kee just keeps coming back, so to speak?
I think there's a general question of why haven't Asian-Americans been featured more prominently in American media. I think that's definitely changing. I think we are now seeing Asian and Asian-looking faces in our movies, on television and even in books at an increased rate. I still don't think that we're where we want to be. I just think for a lot of Americans, their idea of an Asian or an Asian-American is pretty two-dimensional.
How did people originally respond to the character when the graphic novel was published?
I would say I've gotten different types of feedback about the Cousin Chin-Kee character. Some older Asian-Americans told me when they got to that character, it was so painful for them to look at. It was hard for them to finish the book, and that was what I was kind of going for.

Some other Asian Americans around my age or people who are younger who grew up in a minority setting where they're not around a lot of Asian-Americans; they totally understand. They think he's funny, and they understand that he's funny in this really painful way.

"If I were to do the whole thing over again, I would try to exaggerate the Cousin Chin-Kee character even more. Then maybe people would not find him cute."

And then - it hasn't happened in a while - but every now and then somebody will come up to me, usually it's at a comic book convention, and they'll say, "You know that Cousin Chin-Kee character? He's so cute. Do you have a T-shirt with him, because he's so cute." And I was not going for cute when I designed that character.

One of the regrets that I have with the book, like if I were to do the whole thing over again, is I would try to exaggerate the Cousin Chin-Kee character even more, to cut down on some of that.
Oh, wow. That's an actual regret you have?
Yeah. I feel like I didn't exaggerate him enough. If I had exaggerated him a little more, then maybe people would not find him cute.
Shifting to another character, in "American Born Chinese," we also see the story of Jin Wang and his struggle to assimilate into American culture. Jin's experience feels so personal, it appears to mirror your own struggles growing up. As a son of immigrant parents, did you hide your true self?
I think I wanted to. That feeling of wanting to divorce myself from my own cultural background, from my cultural heritage, is a lot of what's behind the book.

Jin Wang is actually a misspelling of my name that I encountered more than once. My parents were originally going to give me the name J-I-N, like the character in the book. And they decided not to, because they felt like if they could find an English name that was close, that it would give me a leg up in American society. So, they found G-E-N-E.

But even so, people would still misspell my name J-I-N from time to time. I just thought it was a weird thing, you know? "Gene" is an actual American name, but people still misspelled my name as "Jin." Same with "Wang." So, a lot of times my last name will get misspelled "Wang." And I've talked to other Yangs and other Wangs and that does seem like a pretty common thing.

A lot of the racism that Jin and his friends experience were pulled from my own life, especially from late elementary school into junior high.
At one point, an herbalist tells Jin that "it's easy to become anything you wish ... so long as you're willing to forfeit your soul." I'm curious whether you had a similar epiphany - that you were avoiding your true self.
I don't think it was one point. I think it was actually throughout my college years. This was the early 90s. At Berkeley, that was when I first started calling myself an Asian-American. Before that, I called myself Oriental. That was the first time I was in a majority Asian environment. It wasn't even a majority. During my four years, that was when Asian Americans became the largest group numerically.

So, for the first time, I was around a lot of other Asian-Americans. It wasn't weird. Being Asian-American didn't stand out. I took some sociology classes. I talked to my Asian-American friends who were a lot wiser than me, who thought through these issues. And I think that was when I started being able to explain and understand the discomfort I had had since I was a kid. And it was also the time that I realized that it wasn't just me. This experience of feeling like an outsider wasn't unique to me. It was actually a very common thing. Especially among immigrant kids.
Right. In fact, we see in "American Born Chinese" that stereotypes don't just affect Jin. One of his friends, Suzy, opens up to him about being the target of a racial slur. And it's such a painful panel to see Suzy try to process the hatred she witnessed in that moment. As a parent, do you have conversations with your children about stereotypes and how to react to them, how to process them?
I do, I do. I have talks with them. I'm not totally sure they understand what "American Born Chinese" is all about. Maybe that's a good thing.

The school they go to is predominantly Filipino, and they are half Chinese and half Korean, and I wonder if they feel like outsiders or not. My feeling is that they probably don't, because a lot of the parents of their friends are like me. My kid's friends are the grandkids of immigrants, so they're one generation removed from the immigrant experience. And I think, in a lot of ways, Filipinos, East Asians, Southeast Asians, do tend toward a more collective Asian-American identity, especially as you get further away from the immigrant experience, right?

I'm lucky. I get a chance to talk to different folks about my work, and it seems like when I meet young Asian-Americans in communities where there's a large enough Asian-American population, they just never felt like an outsider. And even though it's bad for my royalties... it's probably good for the next generation to have my book feel a little bit alien.
You're the first graphic novelist to be named the Library of Congress' National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Ultimately, what would you want young minds to take away from a work like "American Born Chinese"?
I hope that a kid who has never felt part of the majority, a kid who has always felt like an outsider, will understand, regardless of what it is that makes them an outsider, that that is not an experience that's unique to them. Actually, more of us feel like outsiders than insiders. In a weird way, that kind of ties us all together.
Interview has been edited and condensed. READ MORE: Rebecca Sugar, Cartoon Network's first female creator, on writing LGBTQ stories for kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
This Chinese American cartoonist forces us to face racist stereotypes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The first comic that cartoonist Gene Luen Yang ever bought was a two-in-one issue that featured a man made out of rocks and an intergalactic cyborg. He loved comics, especially the kind that featured space aliens. So he started making his own. He and a friend drew comics and sold them for 50 cents each.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"But You Are Still a Monkey": American Born Chinese and Racial Self-Acceptance | Cadden | The Looking Glass : New Perspectives on Children's Literature

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"But You Are Still a Monkey": American Born Chinese and Racial Self-Acceptance