Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Gene Luen Yang is not, by any means, a one hit wonder. This book is wonderful and I cannot wait to read "Saints." I'm always amazed that fellow educators discount his work for simple. He beautifully tells a story of the Boxer Revoluton using complex themes, pictures, and words. Maybe people think colorful = a book for little kids. I thought MAUS had stomped down the theory that comics meant light and funny.
This is a great mix of historical fiction mixed with Chinese mythology. At the turn of 20th Century, Little Bao grows tired of being bullied by foreigners so he learns how to harness the power of Gods (and big swords) to take the fight to them.
I love Gene Luen Yang's art. It's so simple, so straight forward but he manages to convey so much through the story and dialogue that it leaves such a lasting impression. He creates these incredibly sympathetic characters and then has them do things that are anything but. It forces you to question what you would do in their situation and where right ends and wrong begins.
This works perfectly as a stand-alone story, but I'm really curious to see where the companion book "Saints" takes the story.
I love Gene Luen Yang's art. It's so simple, so straight forward but he manages to convey so much through the story and dialogue that it leaves such a lasting impression. He creates these incredibly sympathetic characters and then has them do things that are anything but. It forces you to question what you would do in their situation and where right ends and wrong begins.
This works perfectly as a stand-alone story, but I'm really curious to see where the companion book "Saints" takes the story.
Publisher wants us to hold off on reviewing until August...can't think why--so for now, just know that this duology is something {fantastic} to anticipate!
Fabulous! I love how the narration did not pull its punches and showed the violence that actually occurred during the boxer rebellion. Yang beautifully navigated writing about a dark time in China's history for a young audience.
I enjoyed this graphic look at a period in China's history that I knew nothing about. I will recommend to both my graphic novel readers as well as students and teachers interested in world history.
I think Gene's books will always manage to find a special place in my heart. I already loved his book "American-Born Chinese," not in the least because I am an aforementioned ABC myself, but Boxers and Saints takes that love to a whole new level. Although I love historical fiction, Chinese historical fiction is hard to find in English, and my Chinese reading skill is not proficient enough for me to have an enjoyable experience (too much dictionary flipping and whatnot).
So to me, this was the perfect book in understanding a small sliver of the very tumultuous, very complicated time in my culture's history. Although Chinese history has lots of convoluted political scenes, the Boxer Rebellion is still close enough to us that I have relatives who still are emotionally attached to the events that unfolded here.
The "mystical" and "spiritual" side of it was also well appreciated. Although Westerners like to think of themselves as rational, scientific beings, the Western religion of Christianity has just as many sensational and spiritual aspects as many of the Chinese folklore and mythology. I'm glad Gene had both the Chinese and Western spiritual elements in these two books.
I also love that Gene told the story from two perspectives. As an ABC and as a Chinese Christian, I often have conflicting feelings about the Western invasion of China, and pairing these two books next to each other can show a third party just how confusing it can be to hold tightly onto two contrasting and battling worlds.
So to me, this was the perfect book in understanding a small sliver of the very tumultuous, very complicated time in my culture's history. Although Chinese history has lots of convoluted political scenes, the Boxer Rebellion is still close enough to us that I have relatives who still are emotionally attached to the events that unfolded here.
The "mystical" and "spiritual" side of it was also well appreciated. Although Westerners like to think of themselves as rational, scientific beings, the Western religion of Christianity has just as many sensational and spiritual aspects as many of the Chinese folklore and mythology. I'm glad Gene had both the Chinese and Western spiritual elements in these two books.
I also love that Gene told the story from two perspectives. As an ABC and as a Chinese Christian, I often have conflicting feelings about the Western invasion of China, and pairing these two books next to each other can show a third party just how confusing it can be to hold tightly onto two contrasting and battling worlds.
Wow. Boxers, and its companion book Saints, are really not like any graphic novel I've read before and they are outstanding. Gorgeous, epic historical fiction that gave me insight into a time in history I knew nothing about before this.