This Printz award winner merges three distinct stories- a re-interpretation of "Journey to the West", especially the Monkey King's story, an extreme parody of American stereotypes of the Chinese involving the purposefully offensive "Chin-Kee", and the more realistic (at least until the end) story of an Asian American boy named Jin Wang (which does, in fact, sound quite a lot like "Gene Yang").
The plot of each of these stories is told in a straight-forward fashion: the Monkey King dooms himself to imprisonment under a pile of rocks when he refuses to accept his created form, Chin-Kee's yearly visits to his cousin "Danny" cause Danny so much shame that Danny changes schools every year, and Jin lets other people walk all over him and therefore loses his best friends and his self-respect. The way that Yang ties all these stories together at the end is a little less straightforward, but will still be reasonably easy to follow for young readers. The ending is borderline unbelievable, and would be completely bogus in a traditional novel, but it works because of Yang's humor and willingness to push the envelope in other parts of this novel.
The first aspect of a graphic novel that one typically notices is the art. Yang's style is simple, with large areas of flat color. I have read that this novel began online, so the simplicity of the art makes sense. Unlike many graphic novels, the art itself is not an integral part of the story. There is no information given in the art that is not supplied in the words themselves. There is no irony between what a character does in the art and what he/she says, and no symbolic motifs or themes that exist in the art separate from the words. In fact, it may be questionable to call this piece a graphic novel at all-- It may be more appropriate to call it an ILLUSTRATED novel that happens to look like a comic book.
Despite its lack of depth as a genre piece, the themes in the novel will appeal to teachers and many young adults. The message is, as Tze-Yo-Tzuh says, God does "not make mistakes". Therefore, denying our true selves is denying who God created us to be, and therefore creating a prison for ourselves: the Monkey King's prison is a pile or rocks, Jin's prison is another body and his own shame. We can only be freed when we accept ourselves and return to our true form-- be it monkey or man. This theme may be EXTREMELY obvious to older readers. Middle school age students will find the theme more difficult to discern and will enjoying finding quotes to help support it.
(Side-note: I capitalize the "G" in god here as Yang's "Tze-Yo-Tzuh" is clearly intended to represent the Judeo Christian Yahweh. On pages 69-81, Tze-Yo-Tzuh's words are a paraphrase or even direct quote from Psalms. On page 160, the Monkey King and his master monk set off towards the Star of Bethlehem. On page 215, monkey and his companions visit Mary, Joseph, and the Baby Jesus. I personally appreciated this reference and felt inspired by it, but understand that others many find it offensive or inappropriate for the classroom. I would recommend looking over these few pages before making any decision for classroom use.)
Overall, I enjoyed this piece. Yang uses humor throughout, which will definitely appeal to readers of all ages. There is enough controversy to make this an interesting piece for classroom discussion, but it is unlikely to cause any uproar because the message is so obvious and parent/teacher/politician friendly.
Classroom Applications
I would recommend this novel for middle school if it were used as a classroom teaching piece. It may be an interesting side piece for high school, but does not have the complexity for an advanced course. It is a VERY quick read (it took me about 30 minutes cover to cover).
Literary devices to teach: parallel plots, allusion, hyperbole
Extension Questions:
Unlike many graphic novels, Yang uses a very simple style of art that complements, rather than guides or drives, the story. How does this compare to other graphic novels you've read? Do you think it fits in the genre?
2) There is a clear Christian influence to this story, as the Monkey King visits Christ in Bethlehem and the supreme Chinese diety almost directly quotes passages from the Bible. Were the Christian themes too strong, or just an undercurrent? How do you feel about reading pieces like this in school?
3) How did you feel about the ending? Did it seem to tie all three plotlines together, or did you find it unbelievable? How does this being a graphic novel affect your opinion of the ending?
4) Would you recommend "ABC" to a friend? Why or why not?
5) Research the famous Chinese myth, "Journey to the West". What parts of this story did Yang use, and which did he change?
6) Interview an Asian American classmate or penpal, or reflect on your own experiences. Does the kind of prejudice or stereotyping portayed in the story still occur? Support your answer with examples.
7) What do you make of the similarity between the main character's name and the author's name? Is this significant to the story, or just a coincidence? Explain.
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