Reviews with content warning for Xenophobia - American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese tells the story of a young Chinese-American boy named Jin growing up in SF and going to a predominantly white school, wishing he wasn't different and was instead one of the white boys due to the bullying and discrimination he endures. His story is told in tandem with an old Chinese fable about the Monkey King and with an uncomfortable caricature story about a boy named Chin-kee visiting his white cousin Danny. The three stories connect with a twist in the end and all serve the greater message of accepting yourself for who you are despite how different you may be from those around you. While I liked the premise of the story and its message about growing up as a child of the diaspora amongst white peers, the caricature story was very hard to read and I didn't connect to all of the specifically male experiences of Jin.

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drakebogart's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I finished this book and immediately started from the beginning to re-read it. It's one of those books that comes together so well at the end that you have to go back with the full context, but I LOVE that. It becomes more powerful the second time through. This has stayed on my mind since I finished it and it's something I think is so important and raw. I like that it never talks down to young people and it doesn't shy away from the complex and difficult topics it covers, while navigating them in a clear and understandable way. 5 stars.

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booktavernkeep's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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swordjas's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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bookishcb_21's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This graphic novel has been on my TBR list for some time now (after having read “Dragon Hoops” a few years ago) and I’m so happy to have finally picked it up! It will be a Disney+ series this year, so I was thinking this was the right time to pick it up. It follows 3 separate storylines, starting with Jin Wang - he moves to a new neighborhood and is having a hard time fitting in at school/making friends. He does eventually develop a crush on a fellow classmate, but doesn’t know how to approach the situation. The other two storylines eventually start to make sense as the story continues, but I wouldn’t want to give too much away. If you want to find out, you need to pick up this graphic novel for yourself! 📚 I will say the ending was very good, throwing in a plot twist I didn’t see coming and witnessing Jin learn some positive life lessons.

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