Reading this text was my first true encounter with graphic novels. I have read a few comic strips here and there, and I have read excerpts from graphic novels but that was it. My first encounter with this genre was a very positive one. One of the challenges of reading this novel was I had to return to my childhood roots. I am not used to reading words with constant pictures and then having to associate and combine these two things. However, once I got used to it, I truly enjoyed the novel.
I appreciated the theme that I have encountered with most of the books I have read for this class: identity. Once again I like that this adolescent encounters being "different" yet being the similar. In other words, Jin, just like the rest of his classmates deals with his feelings for girls, not getting along with his parents, and trying to fit in. I appreciated that as a young adult graphic novel, there is something to be said about identity; however, I thought it was sad that there weren't any characters besides Wei-Chen that tried to connect with Jin's struggles; there weren't characters that attempted to understand his history or culture. Instead, most of them just laughed in ignorance. As sad as this was to me, this may be the reality of minority young adults. However, I think it is the job of the young adult novel to challenge what is considered "normal." I do not think this graphic novel did this well.
However, to give the book some merit, considering it is a graphic novel, I think the graphics deserve some mentioning. I loved the way the graphics exaggerated the stereotypes. This, in turn, flipped these stereotypes on their sides and made them more visible, making it possible for the audience to see just how ridiculous and inaccurate these assumptions and ways of seeing people are. For instance, when the audience is introduced to the cousin, "chin-kee," the audience witnesses a lot of stereotypes.
His luggages, for example, are take-out boxes from an Asian cuisine restaurant. He has buckteeth and spits as he talks. I found that within the realm of the graphic novel, this stereotype had the opportunity to make an even more powerful impression on its young readers both positively and negatively.
Similar to fantasy and science fiction novels, I think this text and graphic novels alike, have the ability to offer adolescents a way into the bigger issues of society which can be more engaging than other genres. Additionally, the novel did a good job within this genre of bringing three seemingly different stories together at the end. Similar to The Underneath, this story offers the idea that we are all a lot more connected than we give ourselves credit for.
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