American Born Chinese Appearances Quotes

We feel for the Monkey King. First the guard won't let him in because he doesn't have shoes, and then the guard admits that he won't let Monkey in because Monkey is a monkey. It also makes us think of those posh restaurants that have dress codes. Who are they really trying to exclude? Is it really about wearing a tie or is it about something more?

We're not afraid to admit that we love Wei-Chen. On his first day at school, he shows up in a buttoned-up shirt that says Robot Happy on it and high-water pants, with Pee Wee Herman hair and glasses. This is a guy who's clearly not ever going to be in the cool crowd. But who cares? He's a nice guy and he's got cool toys. What else matters in life?

Chin-Kee's appearance in Chapter 3 just throws everything off in the book—all of a sudden, you've got a narrative that doesn't make sense. How can Danny, a white suburban teenager, be related to Chin-Kee, a thoroughly Chinese-ified character, down to the yellow skin, slanted eyes, and buckteeth? It's confusing, right? But Yang is a clever author because finding an answer to that last question pushes us to keep reading the book.