Talk:American Born Chinese

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[edit] the first graphic novel to win a major literary award

Should this line be in the description? Art Spiegelman's Maus won the Pulitzer in 1992.

--209.12.46.2 13:24, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Christian underpinnings

How about inserting some text or even a section discussion the Christian underpinnings in this book? Although I don't know if there are any reliable sources on this though. Hong Qi Gong (Talk - Contribs) 14:28, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

Christian underpinnings? Did I miss something when I read it? I don't recall anything resembling religious themes in the story. Lindentree 17:22, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

Oh yes, definitely Christian underpinnings. The most blatant Christian theme in the book was that Gene Yang replaced Buddha with the character "Tze-Yo-Tzuh" who looks like Moses, and who said, "I was, I am, and I shall forever be" - that's similar to the Christian God who said, "I am the alpha and the omega." Take a look at this[1]. Gene Yang talks about how he replaced the Buddhist underpinnings in Journey To The West with Christian underpinnings. Hong Qi Gong (Talk - Contribs) 18:01, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

Not to mention the three packages that the monk had to deliver to the place where the bright shining star was. The Monkey King and the two other disciples of that monk were obviously supposed to be the Three Wise Kings, and they were delivering their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to baby Jesus, as evidenced by an illustration on page 215. Sincerely, Thrashmeister {U|T|C} 14:18, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

He also implied via imagery that the Journey to the West was a journey to see Christ. I imagine this is highly offensive to some, since it basically implies that the Monkey King became civilized by converting to Christianity (and, by extension, suggests that the way to be a good Chinese is by being Christian). I haven't encountered any criticism of the book for the assimilationist tone, though. It should definitely be mentioned if someone notable writes on it. Buspar 22:13, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

Found a New York Times review that mentions it, though not disparagingly: [2] (Scroll down). Someone should add those. Buspar 22:21, 16 September 2007 (UTC)