Chin-Kee was good at math–an over-zealous classroom participant. He bounced from one foot to the other yelling, “HARRO AMELLICA!” I started to flip through the pages more rapidly. And despite the fact that his storyline takes place in contemporary times, he was draped in a silk Hanzuang robe with matching hanfu shoes. An unapologetic depiction of one of the most notorious Asian stereotypes: the kung-fu warrior–his hands folded together in prayer, delight emanating from his “chinky” eyes, a long braid of black hair whipping down his back. Everyone Ruvs Chin-Kee? I turned the page. The next image that appeared was that of a buck-toothed Asian Warrior with a title above his head that read: Everyone Ruvs Chin-Kee! the wise monk, the geisha) but was curious and strangely entertained. So I picked up the bright yellow book, was impressed by its weight, and then opened to the first page, where I was confronted with a striking image of a seemingly overpopulated intergalactic world filled with wise Asian elders, women shyly hiding their faces behind paper fans, and one random, broad-shouldered canary warrior. Jones–I was open to something lighter–something that I thought would be more…manageable. After months of immersion in the hands of some of my favorite literary heavyweights–James Joyce, Phillip Roth, Edward P. The brightly-colored cover, which depicts a young Chinese boy holding a toy robot, immediately caught my eye.
My poetry professor had laid out an assortment of poetry and prose collections from which we were to choose one book to present to the class. To be honest, my first interaction with American Born Chinese was quick and bristly.
Where was I? What was I doing in 2006 that I missed its release? How had I overlooked this amazing graphic novel, while somehow convincing myself to read the first installment of a melodramatic teen-vampire-romance-novel-series that shall go unnamed. Published in 2006, Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel is flush with accolades: a National Book Award Finalist, winner of the Michael L Printz Award, and a “top” pick of multiple publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Time Magazine, and Publisher’s Weekly. Apparently, everyone got the memo on American Born Chinese before I did.
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