You Be You: Identity and So Much More in American Born Chinese

“Be yourself. Everyone else is taken,” quipped Oscar Wilde (or so it is thought, at least). “Be who you are and be that well,” said St Francis de Sales. Two humans who chose very different paths but whose message is the same: own who you are and be you well. Both quotes came to mind as I read Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese (2008) this weekend. The incorporation of fable, spirituality, Chinese culture, and teen angst into a story of identity development and acceptance makes this graphic novel an interesting and valuable one to teach to middle and high school students.

As I thought—and continue to think—about how I might teach this text, I see a few themes of particular value standing out:

• The conflict between tradition and modernity, as discussed, for example, in the parable of the boy who sold sticks to make money

• The desire to blend in rather than stand out, and the imagery and storylines that underpin this theme

• Racism as evidenced through teachers’ microaggressions and peers’ outright use of racial epithets

• The conflict between vulnerability and invulnerability, and the costs and benefits associated with both

All of these themes would work well in a unit focused on identity. American Born Chinese also introduces an opportunity to introduce or weave in themes of diversity, cultural exploration, and genre exploration. At minimum, the text opens up avenues to discuss how the tale might play out differently (or not) when expressed strictly in words versus visually via the graphic novel. It could be interesting, for example, to read the first part of the text aloud to the class without divulging that it is a graphic novel, then introduce the book to them as the graphic novel and discuss their reactions.

Beyond that, there are so many interesting options to dive into details in the text, such as why does the author use the number four so often? Four is an unlucky number in China, and yet we see it play out in tests and challenges in the graphic novel. The bottom line: there are so many learning opportunities afforded by American Born Chinese.

P.S. I am aware of the irony of my posting about owning one’s identity the day after Halloween, the one night each year so many of us deliberately dress as someone—or something—else. So, perhaps Halloween is a great time of the year to teach an identity unit.