American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese follows the three seemingly-divergent plot lines of the mythical Monkey King, Chinese American Jin Wang, and American Danny. All three struggle to fit in–the monkey king with the gods, Jin Wang with his American counterparts, and Danny with his overly-stereotypical Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee. The book doesn't shy away from portraying common stereotypes and situations that Chinese Americans face in everyday settings such as school, but does so in good humor and, at times, hilarity. The full color graphics are fantastic and contribute a great deal to the narrative, particularly when the three storylines begin to merge. This is a great book for non-Chinese Americans to read for awareness, although there is a danger that they won't understand how offensively stereotypical Chin-Kee is. It's accessible graphic format might also be attractive for more reluctant readers.