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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Very interesting story, it made me want to know more about this period of time in China.
The art was simple and quite beautiful at the same time.
The art was simple and quite beautiful at the same time.
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
tense
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
I had no idea what this was about going in and I was pleasantly surprised.
I am conflicted by Gene Luen Yang's parallel books.
I grew up Jodo Shinshu Buddhist and do not believe in God. Christianity never had (and still doesn't make sense to me), but what always bothered me about religious people is their belief that you should believe as they do. I have little respect for missionaries who make it their life's work to convert what they consider 'heathens'. To me it's arrogant and insensitive. It is, in a very true sense, a killer of cultures.
So with Boxers I sympathized with Little Bao and his desire to rid China of these 'foreign devils' who have not only come to China to convert the people, but take over land as if they've a right to it. I could also see how Little Bao becomes conflicted by all the death surrounding him.
With Saints, I think Yang's choice to write a character who is so completely unlikable was probably not the best way to show a different side to the Boxer Rebellion, but maybe that was his intention. Four Girl is selfish and mean and following a religion only because she got cookies out of it and wanted to become a devil, not because she wanted to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.
The writing is great and I was engrossed from beginning to end with both volumes. I loved the art, it's just that the characters, Four Girl and Little Bao were not the heroes one is looking for. I would have loved to follow Mei-wen's journey instead as I found her to be much more interesting than both main characters. But I wonder, in this rebellion were there really heroes? Another war, senseless killing because of religion. It's a sad state of affairs that continually repeats itself.
I grew up Jodo Shinshu Buddhist and do not believe in God. Christianity never had (and still doesn't make sense to me), but what always bothered me about religious people is their belief that you should believe as they do. I have little respect for missionaries who make it their life's work to convert what they consider 'heathens'. To me it's arrogant and insensitive. It is, in a very true sense, a killer of cultures.
So with Boxers I sympathized with Little Bao and his desire to rid China of these 'foreign devils' who have not only come to China to convert the people, but take over land as if they've a right to it. I could also see how Little Bao becomes conflicted by all the death surrounding him.
With Saints, I think Yang's choice to write a character who is so completely unlikable was probably not the best way to show a different side to the Boxer Rebellion, but maybe that was his intention. Four Girl is selfish and mean and following a religion only because she got cookies out of it and wanted to become a devil, not because she wanted to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.
The writing is great and I was engrossed from beginning to end with both volumes. I loved the art, it's just that the characters, Four Girl and Little Bao were not the heroes one is looking for. I would have loved to follow Mei-wen's journey instead as I found her to be much more interesting than both main characters. But I wonder, in this rebellion were there really heroes? Another war, senseless killing because of religion. It's a sad state of affairs that continually repeats itself.
BOOK #3 of #readathon finished! Another excellent novel by Yang, but very violent!
challenging
sad
medium-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 can be a hard graphic novel to read--it deals with a tragic topic: the racism, stereotypes, and colonization that led to the Boxer Rebellion. I haven't read Saints yet, but I know that while this book follows the perspective of a rural Chinese boy who is against foreigners presence in China, the other book presents the other side of the conflict. This book definitely succeeds in having the reader understand some of the factors that led to such hatred of foreigners and any Chinese people who adopted Western religion (Christianity--though it seemed the hatred had less to do with the religion and more to do with its association with the Westerners) or ways of life. The art style is really vivid and fits well with the Chinese legends interspersed throughout--do be aware that there is a lot of violence and death depicted on page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, War
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Religious bigotry
"What is China but a people and their stories? And now you've burned them both to ash."
I came into this book knowing nothing about China's Boxer Rebellion. I was a little surprised by the amount of fantasy that is woven into this story; I thought it would be more factually based. But it does present a general picture of some of the conditions that led to the rebellion, and it made me curious about the more factual aspects. I will probably use this as a springboard for further inquiry.
One thing I liked about having this book and its companion, Saints, is that it provides an interesting insight into two different perspectives on the same event. Compared to this volume, Saints feels a little slender; but these would make a good paired text set for student discussions.
One thing I liked about having this book and its companion, Saints, is that it provides an interesting insight into two different perspectives on the same event. Compared to this volume, Saints feels a little slender; but these would make a good paired text set for student discussions.