Books like American Born Chinese

A clever, intertwining graphic journey through the awkwardness of adolescence, the weight of heritage, and the struggle to accept who you are. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with American Born Chinese.

awkward
poignant
mythic
anxious

01
Interior Chinatown
Charles Yu
A razor-sharp, formally inventive satire that dismantles the background roles marginalized people are forced to play in their own lives.
Shares:
- poignant
- satirical
- wry
02
Messy Roots
Laura Gao
A visually engaging, heartfelt journey through the intersections of queer identity and the Chinese-American immigrant experience.
Shares:
- earnest
03
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
Bette Bao Lord
A warm, nostalgic journey of finding a new home and identity through the universal language of play.
Shares:
- earnest
- cultural assimilation
04
Name Jar
Yangsook Choi · 2001
A tender and affirming exploration of holding onto who you are when everything around you is new.
Shares:
- earnest
- empathetic
- self-acceptance
05
New Kid
Jerry Craft
A warm, funny, and sharply observant graphic novel about the awkward, everyday tightrope walk of middle school and code-switching.
Shares:
- anxious
- earnest
- wry
- empathetic
06
Grandfather's journey
Allen Say · 1993
A quiet, beautifully illustrated meditation on the bittersweet reality of leaving one home to find another, only to forever miss the first.
Shares:
- earnest
07
The Eternal Smile
Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim
A clever, reality-bending graphic collection that peels back the comforting illusions of fantasy to reveal the poignant human longings underneath.
Shares:
- wry
08
I hate English!
Ellen Levine
A gentle, empathetic exploration of the frustration and eventual triumph of finding your voice in a brand-new world.
Shares:
- earnest
- empathetic
09
Almost American Girl
Robin Ha
A poignant, visually expressive memoir about the jarring isolation of culture shock and the saving grace of finding your voice through art.
Shares:
- poignant
- earnest
10
Avatar
Gene Luen Yang
A nostalgic and action-packed return to a beloved world that proves winning a war is much easier than building a lasting peace.
Shares:
- anxious
- earnest
11
Ties that bind, ties that break
Lensey Namioka
A quiet but fiercely defiant coming-of-age story about the painful, liberating choice to walk your own path.
Shares:
- earnest
12
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Sherman Alexie
A hilarious, heartbreaking, and deeply human exploration of what it costs to leave home and what it takes to survive it.
Shares:
- earnest
- wry

Back to American Born Chinese