This LibGuide was created for a presentation at the SLJ Leadership Summit, Confronting our Literacy Crisis, in Nashville, TN on October 7, 2017. Using Graphic Novels to Develop Racial Literacy in Today's Teens included a panel discussion with Gene Luen Yang and four teenagers.
Visit: http://www.slj.com/leadership-summit/
Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. Color by Lark Pien. Square Fish: New York, 2006. Print.
American Born Chinese weaves together three seemingly unrelated stories to show readers how all of our decisions and choices in life are interconnected. The lives of Jin Wang, the only Chinese-American student in his school who just wants to love all things American, Danny, an all-American boy who is trying to deal with his obnoxious cousin Chin-Kee’s visits, and the Monkey King, who is just trying to join the immortal Gods in Heaven, all illustrate how everyone struggles to fit in with their friends and family and just how to fix how their lives have turned out.
Visual and textual style: panels in a box, organized, stereotypes, anthropomorphic
Potential readers/appeal factors: high school and up, coming-of-age, struggling to fit in, middle school and up, very relatable story, fantasy, anthropomorphic
Awards
Gregory Lum, Library Director
glum@jesuitportland.org
503.292.2663 ext. 7402
Twitter: @lumgregory and @JesuitClarkLib
Megan Mathes, English teacher
mmathes@jesuitportland.org
503.292.2663 ext. 7773
Paul Danowski
Amanda France
Sahana Jayarman
James Pecore
National Book Award Finalist Boxers & Saints is a two volume project Yang put together to highlight the Boxer Rebellion fought in China that began on November 1899 and ended on September 7, 1901.
