The Monkey King is just that, a monkey that is a king of monkeys. However, this monkey knows different forms of kung fu and considers himself to be a deity. One night, he smells food from a heavenly dinner party and decides that he wants to attend, even without an invitation. Once he arrives in heaven and tries to enter the party, the other gods mock him. They call him a simple monkey and say that he will never be anything more than that. The Monkey King's reaction? He pummels them all and sets out to prove himself as a deity equal of all of those in heaven.
Jin was born in the United States to Asian parents, but he still faces the difficulty of stereotypes and the sting of racial discrimination. It is clear that the color of his skin and the slant of his eyes is enough to separate him from the rest of the class. When Jin meets another boy named Wei-Chen Sun, he struggles to "fix" the other boy's broken English so that he will not be embarrassed. And, as you see him grow up, Jin struggles with his heritage limiting not only his friends, but also the girls that he is interested in.
Danny is a normal teen with a terrifying secret: his cousin Chin-kee. Danny is embarrassed by his cousin's broken English and odd mannerisms. Danny has to take Chin-kee to school with him and it is devastating. Danny says it messes with his life and claims that he has to switch schools after every visit his cousin makes. This time Danny refuses to let his cousin mess up his life. But how will he stop his strange cousin?
These three tales are woven together to create a strange and unique tale. It's full of hilarious inuendos and hidden meanings and the art is amazing. Yang uses this story to explore the problems of racism and stereotypes. His characters express his feelings and thoughts about growing up. His book begs the question of: what would you do to fit in?
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