Yang, Gene Luen. 2006. AMERICAN BORN CHINESE. New York: ISBN: 9781596432086In American Born Chinese, clear colorful pictures and comic book format tell three stories. First, Jin Wang's parents are Taiwanese, but he is American. The kids at school pick on him because of his heritage. He has no friends until Wei-Chen Sun moves to town. Meanwhile, the fabled Monkey King is trying to be accepted into heaven. He runs away from his most revered position to try to become something he is not, a god. In the third story-line Danny, the all-American popular, blonde haired, blue-eyed boy is humiliated each year when his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee comes to visit. American and Chinese cultures, and the three stories, are woven together masterfully in this award-winning graphic novel. The messages are that longing to belong is universal; and coming to terms with ones own identity can be terribly painful.
Wolff, Virginia Euwer. 1993. MAKE LEMONADE. New York: Henry Holt. ISBN: 0805022287Make Lemonade by Virginia Wolff is a coming of age story written in free verse about 14 year old LaVaughn who lives in the projects with her mother. They are poor, hard-working and the two of them make a strong family. LaVaughn barely remembers her father, who was never in a gang, but was killed in the crossfire of a gang shootout. LaVaughn decides at a very early age that she will be the first person in her family and even in her entire building to go to college and have a better life. To do this she needs to work. She takes a job as babysitter for the two young children of Jolly, a seventeen year old single mother, whose life is a mess. The children and their apartment are filthy. There is never enough money. When Jolly gets fired, LaVaughn still helps her. LaVaughn takes Jolly along to her self esteem class as a guest and then helps Jolly get back into highschool.
The first person narrative told in LaVaughn's voice is believable and full of hope, for herself, Jolly, and the two children, Jeremy and Jilly. In the story, LaVaughn and Jeremy plant lemon seeds together. Jeremy keeps watch, but the seeds will not grow. Jolly even argues that planting the seeds is bad for Jeremy, only disappointing him. But they keep planting and watching for signs of life. They never give up. None of the characters ever give up, even though their lives are very difficult and they experience many hardships and injustices. In the end, after LaVaughn and Jolly go their separate ways, one day they pass in the hall at school. Jolly pokes LaVaughn and says, "Hey, you wouldn't guess what come up out of that dirt....We got a little lemon thing comin' up." LaVaughn planted the seeds. It seemed they would never grow and survive, but somehow they did. Maybe Jolly and the kids would, too.
Mecum, Ryan. 2008. ZOMBIE HAIKU. Cincinnati, OH: How Books. ISBN: 9781600610707
Zombie Haiku is the story (cleverly written mostly in haiku) of a poet turned zombie on a murderous, flesh-eating rampage. Let the blood-stained cover be a warning. There is plenty more where that comes from; blood and guts, that is, and violent zombie canibalism. With each page the photographs and poetry become more disturbing, right to the finish. Near the end..."She tugs at my face,
and somehow gets my eyeball
stuck on her necklace."
...and that is one of the milder passages. Readers beware!
