Reviews with content warning for Racism - The Legend of Auntie Po

'The Legend of Auntie Po' by Shing Yin Khor is a fast paced graphic novel that follows the store of a Chinese girl working and living in a logging camp. We follow Mei as she deals with the racism her Chinese community faces as well as budding feelings for her best friend, Bee. One way that she deals with hardships is through telling the story of Auntie Po, her version of Paul Bunyan. These stories helps her face problems in the camp and questions about where her life will go next.
This graphic novel is heartfelt and delves into difficult subjects with grace and care. Shing Yin Khor's art is simple and effective, making the story fly by while still easily getting captured by the characters. It felt so quick that I wanted more but I think it does well with what is presented. I loved the use of myth to explore the character's struggles. I'd love to see a book dedicated to the Auntie Po legends and even more of the stories we see glimpses of throughout the book.

Content Warnings

emily_mh's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I enjoyed this story more and more as time went on. I loved how it explored storytelling as connection, as making sense of things, as reassurance and security, and as a means of expressing yourself and your feelings. It was nifty seeing how stories change as they are passed on, and similarly how traditions change from generation to generation, and how Mei uses both to connect with her culture, history, and family. This truly is a great coming-of-age story, with Mei finding her place and direction in a world and time where she is oppressed as a queer Chinese-American girl.

In terms of spoilers,

I liked how Hels was held accountable for his poor allyship. You can’t call someone family and not act like it. In the same vein, Bee is told by Mei multiple times that her life is completely different and that her whiteness affords her privilege. I also loved the hopeful ending

While the art style was simplistic this was not at all a bad thing, and I enjoyed the watercolour medium. I also appreciated learning so much about logging, for example the instruments used, and activities like log driving.

Books like this remind me that I still love historical fiction and need to pick it up more often!

Content Warnings

klsriley's review

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense 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

Content Warnings

robinks's review

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adventurous hopeful informative lighthearted 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? No

4.75

The illustrations really fit with the subject matter. It was so nice to see historical fiction that was honest about racism’s violence yet remained hopeful that things/people are changing. It would’ve been nice for the queer storyline to get more pages!

Content Warnings

alyssamakesart's review

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adventurous emotional funny informative fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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