American+born+Chinese+Graphic+Novel

//**__American Born Chinese__** Summary: //Important or reoccurring themes:// In **//__American Born Chinese__//**, There are a few important and reoccurring themes. The most important and most obvious theme in **//__American Born Chinese__//**, is self-acceptance. Danny, Jin, and The Monkey King all try to be someone else, someone they're not, and each of them fail doing it. The Monkey King is the one who kept Jin on the ground, and didn't let him fly away as Danny. Another reoccurring theme was staying close to your roots. When Jin and The Monkey King wanted to be someone they weren't, there was someone there to keep them close to who they really were. That person or thing was there to keep them close because if they floated too far from their birthplace, they would forget who they were, and therefore what they had become. //Thoughts:// I enjoyed reading **//__American Born Chinese__//**, very much and would recommend it to people of all ages. It is a simple story on a lower level, but also a more complex story on a higher level. //Links:// Gene Luen Yang's Website: [] An interview with Gene Luen Yang: []
 * __American Born Chinese__**//, is a novel written by Gene Luen Yang. It has three different storylines that come together toward the end of the book. The stories are of a boy named Jin, a boy named Danny, and the story of The Monkey King. The author chose to use these three different story lines in the same book because they all relate to each other because they are all searching for the same thing, understanding how great they are as themselves. In other words, they are looking for self-acceptance. Each character is lead on an epic journey through their world, and in some cases, one another's.


 * //__The Monkey King__//**

Summary:

Monkey King (or //Sunwukong//) was born from a stone. He wanted to be like the immortals and be free from death. He was extremely smart and capable, and learned all the magic tricks from a master Taoist. He could transform himself into seventy-two different images such as a tree, a bird, a beast of prey, or a bug as small as a mosquito so as to sneak into an enemy's belly to fight him or her inside out. Using clouds as a vehicle, he can travel 180,000 miles a single somersault. He claimed to be king in defiance of the Great Emperor of Jade—the only authority over heaven, the seas, the earth, and the subterranean world. That act of high treason invited the relentless scourge of the Heavenly army. After many showdowns, the dove faction of the heavenly court persuaded the emperor to offer the monkey an official title to appease him. The monkey accepted this offer on a trial basis. However, he learned a few days later that he was cheated and being jeered all over the heavenly court: the position he held was nothing but a stable keeper. Enraged, he revolted, fighting his way back to earth to resume his own claim as a king. Eventually, the heavenly army subdued him, only after many a battle, with the help of all the god warriors. However, all methods of execution failed. One attempt to kill him actually gave him a pair of fiery golden crystal eyes that can see through what people normally cannot. At last, the emperor asked Buddha for help. The Buddha moved a great mountain known as the Mount of Five Fingers to fall upon him. Still, the tenacious monkey survived the enormous weight and pressure, except he could not move! Five hundred years later, there came to his rescue the monk Tripitaka. To insure that Tripitaka could make the journey to the West to get the Buddhist scriptures, Buddha had arranged for the Monkey King to become his disciple and escort him, along with two other disciples they later came across. There the four started their stormy journey west which was packed with actions and adventures. Monkey, the monk, Pigsy, and Sandy work their way to the Western Paradise and the Buddhist sutras. Tall mountains, deep rushing rivers, and evil demons lie ahead. But Monkey is brave and smart, and he even learns to behave. They know this is an important mission. As many years pass, they learn to face challenges by working together. When a task is too hard, the goddess Guan Yin helps out. After traveling for 14 years and 108,000 miles, Monkey and his friends reach the Western Paradise. Buddha gives them the sacred sutras to take back to China. Buddha knows that the travelers suffered on the journey, but they also learned something new about themselves. Plus, they each earned merit for doing good deeds. Buddha rewards them for their loyalty and hard work—with immortal life and happiness.

Summary courtesy of []

__//**A Step From Heaven**//__

Summary:

A novel in which a Korean-American girl tells the story of her acculturation into American life beginning from the day she leaves Korea as a young child and ending when she is a young woman. While going up into the sky on the flight from Korea to America, four-year-old Young Ju concludes that they are on their way to heaven-America is heaven! After they arrive, however, Young Ju and her parents and little brother struggle in their new world, weighed down by the difficulty of learning English, their insular family life, and the traditions of the country they left behind. An Na’s striking language authentically reflects the process of acculturation as Young Ju grows from a child to an adult.

Summary courtesy of []

__//**The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian**//__

Summary:

In his first book for young adults, bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist who leaves his school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white high school. This heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written tale, coupled with poignant drawings that reflect the character’s art, is based on the author’s own experiences and chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he seems destined to live. **__//The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian//__** is somewhat of an autobiography of Sherman Alexie.

Important or reoccurring themes:

There were a couple of very important repeating ideas in **__//The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian//__**. First, was Drawing. Drawing was important to the protagonist, because it was very difficult for him to live in the world he was born into, and drawing gave him a way to escape from all of the bad things happening around him. Drawing eventually became a big part of Sherman Alexie's life, and led to his career as an author/artist. The second reoccurring theme of **__//The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian//__** was race or ethnicity. At least every chapter, maybe every couple pages, the readers were reminded that the main character was a Native-American, whether they it was done kind and peacefully or not. The readers were told that Sherman Alexie was one of only two Native-Americans in his entire high school. These two ideas are essential to telling the story of **__//The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.//__**

Thoughts:


 * __//The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian//__**, although at times very offensive and/or shocking, was necessary to read because things that appeared to be offensive or shocking were things that happen in reality. Other than the slight offensiveness, I really enjoyed reading Sherman Alexie's story of **__//The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.//__**

Links:

Sherman Alexie's official website: []

Summary Courtesy of []


 * __//47//__**

Summary:
 * __//47//__** was about a boy who was a slave that had undiscovered power and became a hero. He was living in the barn as a boy, but he was sent to the slave quarters at the age of 14. He was never given a real name because his mother died giving birth and his overseer didn't think he deserved one. His slave number was 47. One day 47 came across a boy named Tall John; his life was never the same afterword. Tall John possessed powers that helped 47 in his journey. To help 47 recognize his true power, Tall John took 47 on a trip to a magical world. When they returned, a fight had broken out at the plantation and a evil being named Wall found a ship that could take him into the ground to find a special powder that could help him destroy the world. After a great fight, 47 had won a pyrrhic victory in which his friend Tall John had died although he defeated Wall for now..........

Important or Reoccurring Themes: In the book **//__47__//**, I found a couple of very important themes. The first theme that goes along with most of the themes we have seen this year is believing in yourself. It took 47 a long time to realize that he was as powerful as he was. Tall John came to him to help him understand his power and to believe he could use it to stop Wall or the Devil. Another important theme from **//__47__//** was that of fighting for what you think is right. 47 didn't know any better, but Tall John on the other hand knew that slavery was wrong, and he would go out of his way to prove it. He would always fight it and tell the other people he had met how wrong it was. Later in the book Tall John even physically fights his master to prove his point. The themes that I have encountered in **//__47__//** are extremely similar to the themes I have seen in other books we have read this year.

Links: Walter Mosley(the author)'s site: []