American Born Chinese is the first Graphic Novel I've ever read. Actually, I never even got into comic books so it was really my first experience with this style of writing. Once I figured out which order to read the blocks (which was constantly changing) I was fine.
I really enjoyed the story. The three narratives were very interesting as separate entities but were made even more interesting when they came together as a kind of modern mythological tale. By the end, the characters and the reader have gotten a moral lesson from the story. I liked the blending of the "ancient" Chinese Monkey King myth with the modern struggle to fit in in the American society. It shows how these old stories and old ideas are still relevant today. The comic medium itself also helps to give the story a modern feel as it is a rather modern style.
The look of the book really helped it. It was colorful and straightforward. It made it a visual joy to look at and the constant shifting of the blocks kept it from getting mundane.
The character Chin-kee was probably the most interesting character because of the exaggerated stereotypical aspects of him. This makes him a rather controversial character. I just thought he was funny. But when we find out that he is the Monkey King who had struggled for so long with his identity it makes his lesson to Danny (Jin) so much more powerful.
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