American Born Chinese

This graphic novel is about a boy who has trouble fitting in at his new school in a new country. This situation is relevant to many immigrants. The fear of not fitting in, being ostracized, and not making new friends because of the language barrier or our "strange" customs. Although it feels nice to fit in and be part of something I feel we shouldn't have to give up our customs and traditions that make us so unique. In the first chapter, Jin Wang has quickly assimilated through his lunch choice. He was seen eating dumplings at first but months later we see him with a sandwich. Although it's hard for children to understand that being different is okay, I want them to understand. Using chopsticks, eating dumplings, and our language add onto our uniqueness. It shouldn't make us feel inferior to those who chose to conform to society. As I was reading the first chapter of this graphic novel I desperately wanted to somehow jump into the comic and tell Jin Wang this. Although I have not read the rest of this novel, I hope the author's purpose of writing this novel was to tell children to embrace their culture instead of leaving it behind for one that people are comfortable with.