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lily1304's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
I love the interwoven stories, I love the art style, I love Jin and Wei-Chen, I love the way it switches between realistic and fantasy. It's about Asian-American adolescence, but the broader themes of identity and acceptance are relatable.
What bugged me though was the Christian-ness throughout, maybe because for the first few pages it doesn't seem like a Christian novel. When I first read this for a class, my European classmates didn't even realize. But at one point a character just directly quotes a Psalm, at another point the Holy Family literally appear, etc. I read that Yang used to work for InterVarsity, which is one of several youth/college ministries known for using bat-and-switch tactics to try to convert people. It just makes me seriously question Yang's motivations and opinions and wonder if he still has some seriously bad evangelical takes.
Yang uses Chinese stories and mythology to support the story, but also weaves in Christianity until I'm not sure anymore what's Chinese culture and what Yang made up. Is Tze-Yo-Tze (God) actually a character in Chinese mythology, or just Christian God thrown in? Of course, the book is really about Asian-Americans and authenticity, and there's a strong evangelical Asian-American subculture... maybe these are the exact questions Yang intends to provoke.
What bugged me though was the Christian-ness throughout, maybe because for the first few pages it doesn't seem like a Christian novel. When I first read this for a class, my European classmates didn't even realize. But at one point a character just directly quotes a Psalm, at another point the Holy Family literally appear, etc. I read that Yang used to work for InterVarsity, which is one of several youth/college ministries known for using bat-and-switch tactics to try to convert people. It just makes me seriously question Yang's motivations and opinions and wonder if he still has some seriously bad evangelical takes.
Yang uses Chinese stories and mythology to support the story, but also weaves in Christianity until I'm not sure anymore what's Chinese culture and what Yang made up. Is Tze-Yo-Tze (God) actually a character in Chinese mythology, or just Christian God thrown in? Of course, the book is really about Asian-Americans and authenticity, and there's a strong evangelical Asian-American subculture... maybe these are the exact questions Yang intends to provoke.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Bullying
cgbr's review against another edition
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Bullying
ehmannky's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Excellent all around. Great art, great layered storytelling, and a great message perfect for readers of all ages. I loved the integration of the myth of the Monkey King as part of highlighting Jin Yang's move to accepting himself and his culture and to stop trying so hard to fit in to the white American society around him. Also making that myth maybe real all along was rad. I also thought that the book does a good job at showing the levels of racism that can severely impact students of color (in this specific case Asian students). For example, you have the white boys who consistently use racial slurs and bully Jin, but there is also the white boy who is passive in the face of the bullying and tells him that he should stop trying to date the white girl because it would be a "bad look for her." Good storytelling all around.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Bullying, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Violence
sydboll's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
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