Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
--Graphic novel recommended by Nate
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sboxers%20yang__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=pearl
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sboxers%20yang__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=pearl
adventurous
dark
funny
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:
No
I read the whole thing in one sitting so ya that was cool. I don't understand why the main character dude became a god but still I guess it was an ok book.
I LOVE Yang's illustrations! This is a really fascinating book about the Boxer Rebellion in China at the turn of the 20th century. The story is very well told, and the drawings are marvelous. This is such a sad part of history, and this is a great way to learn more about it.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was my first time reading a graphic novel, so I wanted to make sure I stayed engaged with both the illustrations and storyline. Luckily, Gene Luen Yang's historical piece well written/illustrated and conceptualized in ways that made complex themes easy to unpack. Focused on the Boxer Rebellion from the point of view of a boy living in the village, the reader follows his journey from being able to go to opera to using his kung-fu knowledge to act as a source of protection for Chinese folks. It gave me insight into a historical conflict I'd learned about briefly in school and parts of Chinese culture I had never explored. . Given the historical nature of European colonialism across the world, Bao's struggles against the "foreign devils" and their association with Christianity are portrayed honestly. For example, Gene Luen Yang explores the effects of both physical and ideological warfare with a mastery that manifests in small, but effective choices such the representation of some character dialogue as muted symbols compared to the English writing. Due to scenes of violence, the novel is suitable for adults and older children but I highly recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about history through the lens of an individual. Overall, beautifully done. I'm starting the companion book Saints and have high expectations.
Spoiler
Bao considers setting fire to a church filled with Chinese and foreign women and children who follow Christianity. Though his commitment to the cause is evidenced in his group killing all of the men, it appears he can only justify the act by hearing misogynistic, untrue characterizations of the foreign devils. This highlighted the importance of marginalizing rhetoric and alludes to similar claims being made by the foreign devils. On another occasion, Bao is convinced by an internal representation of a God of China to burn down a library containing Chinese history and texts, an act that appears to go against his own values in hopes to destabilize the foreign influence.
Here's a hot take: this book might not be for you.
As in, this book might not be written for you.
I really love Gene Luen Yang's graphic novels. I really really do. [b:American Born Chinese|118944|American Born Chinese|Gene Luen Yang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1317066615l/118944._SX50_.jpg|114515] and [b:Level Up|9630403|Level Up|Gene Luen Yang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327944177l/9630403._SX50_.jpg|14517713] both hit me in that 1.5 generation Asian-Canadian immigrant feels. I cried so hard reading Level Up because it resonated with me so intensely.
That's the power of his writing. There's a lot to it that has a cultural context that is difficult to grasp if you didn't grow up with it. Some of the jokes and references are not easily accessible to the broad Western audience (the nods to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Cao Cao's infamous Battle of Chi Bi).
Do you know how few books there are that are written like this for Asian kids? Much of the literary canon and history taught in school in North America is biased towards European and American history. The texts that cover cultural roots are often poorly translated, or written for adults, or obscure and difficult to find. Or they're more interested in using culture as a veneer of authenticity to be used to sell books targeting people who are curious about the culture or those who crave the connection so badly that we'd grasp at any token reference.
So these books are special. If you feel alienated, it might be because it's not written with you in mind, and that it helps people connect with their roots and feel less alone.
------------------
Having heaped praise on this book for what it does, this book vastly oversimplifies the Boxer Rebellion. And intentionally or not, the graphic novel offers justification of colonial oppression.
Some glaring problems:
- There's no real mention of the opium wars, which formed the economic backbone of the poverty and systemic injustice of the time period.
- The bad actions of the Christians and missionaries are mostly described while the violence of the Boxers are illustrated. This is a significant and meaningful choice, especially when maybe a couple pages are dedicated to showing Chinese Christians looting (and no portrayal of bad actions by the foreign priest) and an entire chapter of pillaging by the Chinese Boxers. The rules of "show, don't tell" in a graphic novel reveals the ideological positioning of these events.
- The book fails to position properly the time period that this all occurs, and therefore obscures geopolitical realities. This was still during the time of the expansionist Dutch/ German/ French/ British (Victorian Era)/ Japanese empires. Given what we know about their colonialist intents by, oh, I don't know, looking at history, the anti-colonialist fear sentiment represented by the rise of the Boxer seems entirely justified. This isn't to say I condone all of their violent actions, just that the rage isn't just because some money was stolen and some idols were broken.
- That battle at the end wasn't just the Boxers versus a random assortment of foreigners. It's the culmination of the collective peasant militia and the Chinese infantry against the collective forces of eight of the most powerful nations at the time. Not acknowledging that reality really tries to shift the roots of the conflict away from a complicated medley of issues that stem from colonialism to making it seem like it's just a religious difference.
The last really sad thing about this book is that I don't know if people are going to want to learn more about history and culture of the late 19th/early 20th century China. I was reading some of these reviews and a lot of people seem quite content that this be their only exposure to a complicated issue. (I mean, I'm no historian either but you've got to admit this is not exactly the most scholarly source.)
At the end of the day, it's a comic book. It's a brilliant comic book, but as my high school literature teacher told me once, "you cannot get the depth and breadth of Hamlet just by reading a manga."
As in, this book might not be written for you.
I really love Gene Luen Yang's graphic novels. I really really do. [b:American Born Chinese|118944|American Born Chinese|Gene Luen Yang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1317066615l/118944._SX50_.jpg|114515] and [b:Level Up|9630403|Level Up|Gene Luen Yang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327944177l/9630403._SX50_.jpg|14517713] both hit me in that 1.5 generation Asian-Canadian immigrant feels. I cried so hard reading Level Up because it resonated with me so intensely.
That's the power of his writing. There's a lot to it that has a cultural context that is difficult to grasp if you didn't grow up with it. Some of the jokes and references are not easily accessible to the broad Western audience (the nods to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Cao Cao's infamous Battle of Chi Bi).
Do you know how few books there are that are written like this for Asian kids? Much of the literary canon and history taught in school in North America is biased towards European and American history. The texts that cover cultural roots are often poorly translated, or written for adults, or obscure and difficult to find. Or they're more interested in using culture as a veneer of authenticity to be used to sell books targeting people who are curious about the culture or those who crave the connection so badly that we'd grasp at any token reference.
So these books are special. If you feel alienated, it might be because it's not written with you in mind, and that it helps people connect with their roots and feel less alone.
------------------
Having heaped praise on this book for what it does, this book vastly oversimplifies the Boxer Rebellion. And intentionally or not, the graphic novel offers justification of colonial oppression.
Some glaring problems:
- There's no real mention of the opium wars, which formed the economic backbone of the poverty and systemic injustice of the time period.
- The bad actions of the Christians and missionaries are mostly described while the violence of the Boxers are illustrated. This is a significant and meaningful choice, especially when maybe a couple pages are dedicated to showing Chinese Christians looting (and no portrayal of bad actions by the foreign priest) and an entire chapter of pillaging by the Chinese Boxers. The rules of "show, don't tell" in a graphic novel reveals the ideological positioning of these events.
- The book fails to position properly the time period that this all occurs, and therefore obscures geopolitical realities. This was still during the time of the expansionist Dutch/ German/ French/ British (Victorian Era)/ Japanese empires. Given what we know about their colonialist intents by, oh, I don't know, looking at history, the anti-colonialist fear sentiment represented by the rise of the Boxer seems entirely justified. This isn't to say I condone all of their violent actions, just that the rage isn't just because some money was stolen and some idols were broken.
- That battle at the end wasn't just the Boxers versus a random assortment of foreigners. It's the culmination of the collective peasant militia and the Chinese infantry against the collective forces of eight of the most powerful nations at the time. Not acknowledging that reality really tries to shift the roots of the conflict away from a complicated medley of issues that stem from colonialism to making it seem like it's just a religious difference.
The last really sad thing about this book is that I don't know if people are going to want to learn more about history and culture of the late 19th/early 20th century China. I was reading some of these reviews and a lot of people seem quite content that this be their only exposure to a complicated issue. (I mean, I'm no historian either but you've got to admit this is not exactly the most scholarly source.)
At the end of the day, it's a comic book. It's a brilliant comic book, but as my high school literature teacher told me once, "you cannot get the depth and breadth of Hamlet just by reading a manga."
challenging
emotional
reflective
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This was amazing. A fantastic story depicting an extremely dark and violent time in history.