Can romantic love truly last beyond the spark of a “first sight” crush, or is it bound by the forces of luck and fate? These themes and questions permeate the romantic drama comedy of award-winning creators Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese, Dragon Hoops) and LeUyen Pham’s (Friends series) Lunar New Year Love Story, a riveting graphic novel of unrequited love spanning across multigenerational and cross-cultural dimensions of family dynamics.
For fourteen-year-old Valentina (Val), love fell into and out of her life. Her imaginary best friend Cupid inspired her to send anonymous cards of encouragement to her classmates every year on Valentine’s Day. Later in life, a dark family secret illuminates the truth behind why her mom abandoned her dad. Crestfallen and jaded by this shocking revelation, Val loses the joy in sending out Valentine cards. Shortly thereafter, Cupid transforms into a shadowy specter christened Saint Valentine and proposes a challenge: Find true love within one year’s time, and if she fails, entrust her heart to him in exchange for protection from the pangs of love. Is Val’s yearning heart, like her parents’, destined for a life of fractured relationships, trapped in a persistent cycle of unfulfilled love? How can she break this curse, or is she doomed to succumb to its indomitable fate?
After a chance encounter with two attractive boys at a lion dance performance, Val decides to join their troupe. Through a series of plot twists, turns, and loops, the story delves into dramatic detours enhanced by expressive tonal colors. Characters partake in celebratory activities at a Têt festival—Vietnamese Lunar New Year—ensconced in varying shades of maroon. Scenes unfold through a montage of panels depicting cultural activities energized by lion dances choreographed across full-page spreads. Noir-like panels saturated with dark shades of charcoal gray herald the ominous wraith-like Saint Valentine hovering on the sidelines, intent on winning Val’s broken heart.
This tour de force of storytelling amplifies the plot through interethnic and intergenerational engagement between Vietnamese and Korean American cultures. Through this intricately crafted story, Yang and LeUyen combine captivating dialogue and symbolic metaphors to heighten the pursuit of genuine heartfelt love that transcends typical romances. The remarkable interplay of love, fate, family secrets, grief and loss, fractured family relationships, and reconciliation blend with supernatural and magical realism to produce an unerringly well-paced story. Radiating with intimate warmth and love through nuanced characters, this multilayered graphic novel will captivate young adult readers and beyond, a testament to the ingeniously plotted and exquisitely sculpted characters populating the backdrop of rich cultural traditions in diverse Asian American communities.
Lunar New Year Love Story By Gene Luen Yang Art by LeUyen Pham Macmillan First Second, 2023 ISBN: 9781250908261
Publisher Age Rating: 14-18 NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18)
Creator Representation: Chinese-American, Vietnamese American Character Representation: Korean-American, Vietnamese American
Silent meditation retreats are havens for deep, spiritual enlightenment, and it’s the last place Binh wants to be—especially after fighting off a bully in school for having taunted his Vietnamese heritage. From award-winning author and graphic novelist Minh Lê (Drawn Together, Green Lantern: Legacy) and New York Times bestselling illustrator Chan Chau (Baby-Sitter’s Club) comes Enlighten Me, a coming-of-age story steeped in Buddhist traditions, history, and folklore.
The story begins with Binh and his family headed to the peaceful Three Jewels Mountain Retreat, a silent meditation camp where he surrenders his treasured Game Boy upon arriving. This is the last place he expected to find himself after defending himself from a school bully who directed anti-Asian slurs at his Vietnamese culture. Why was he punished for being the victim? The vice principal figured a weekend family trip here would address his violent behavior. He joins the others kids to practice the art of meditation, but before long, sore legs, a stiff back, and disruptive thoughts invade his mind and distract his focus. Not until Sister Peace, one of the Buddhist monks, begins recounting wondrous tales about the Buddha does Binh embark on a path toward self-enlightenment and deep understanding.
The plot shifts into gear as Binh learns about Prince Siddhartha—a young boy sheltered from the evils of the world—who would one day venture beyond the walls of the royal palace, destined to become the Buddha. Another story drawn from the Jataka tales, stories of the Buddha’s past lives, reveals how as a young prince, he wielded five deadly weapons to combat a ferocious monster lurking deep inside a dark forest. In another tale about devotion to family, Buddha in the form of a golden deer gets caught in a trap, so its siblings come to its aid, refusing to leave its side even when a hunter comes along. Lê and Chau have created a delightfully heartwarming story that blends snatches of humor with moments that capture Binh’s hyperactive fascination with videogames. From serene images of nature to the digital world of Donkey Kong, he envisions himself floating through nebulous space in dynamically arranged panels. Events in the present unfold as Binh imagines taking part in adventures from the traditional tales, each one bearing a nugget of wisdom.
Structured in a semi-episodic style similar to the Arabian Nights, Enlighten Me paves an intriguing path into Buddhist philosophies, yet also weaves in themes of bullying, fitting in, self-control, community building, and finding oneself in the moment. This entertaining and thoughtful semiautobiographical graphic novel highlights a unique perspective on how one middle-schooler learns to navigate the challenges of life to find inner peace through self-disciplined mindfulness, thereby adding a culturally enriching experience to middle grade collections.
Enlighten Me Vol. By Minh Lê Art by Chan Chau Little, Brown, 2023 ISBN: 9780759555488
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11) Creator Representation: Vietnamese American, Character Representation: Vietnamese American,
Author and illustrator, Thien Pham, shares memories of his life framed around particular foods he remembers.
The book starts with a memory from when he was five years old on a small boat in the ocean fleeing Vietnam and encountering pirates. He remembers eating a rice ball his mother saved for him. His next memories come from his time in the refugee camp in Thailand when his mother purchased a banh cuon stall in order to support their family. After finally making it to America, Thien recalls his first American meal, steak and potatoes, as well as the luxury of fresh strawberries and potato chips. Life is hard for Thien’s family but they persevere together, opening their own café then converting it to a video rental store. Thien recalls attending an American school and reuniting with a friend he made at the refugee camp. The last few memories he shares are about the American disposition toward immigrants, especially the loud, angry messages, and his work to become a full American citizen with the support of his friends and family.
Sometimes words aren’t enough to convey all the emotions and meaning you want to share with others. This theme is prevalent throughout Family Style as Thien Pham’ excellent illustrations impart little things like the language barrier (word clouds full of lines and the occasional word that is recognized) or how tired his parents were so often. There were not very many bright colors used. Light seems to be used to show time of day. The muted colors serve to highlight and support the storytelling. Bright colors would have detracted from the serious tone used throughout. Personally, I find graphic memoirs more powerful than just words on a page or in audio form. It can be hard to imagine or picture someone else’s experiences from just words, so the illustrations express both the hardships and trauma as well as the triumphs and joys this family found together while pursuing the American dream.
The endnotes section contains a series of interviews and insights as the author answers some frequently asked questions like what his parents think of how he told the story and what they played with at the refugee camp. Although there are heavy topics introduced and discussed, I would recommend adding this to any graphic novel collection. It brings a perspective to light that not everyone has a chance to encounter in their everyday lives. The author keeps the illustrations pretty PG-13 and does show some violence on the page. The best use of this title would be for a parent to read it with their young ones and have discussions at the end of each memory/chapter.
Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam By Thien Pham Macmillan First Second, 2023 ISBN: 9781250809728
Publisher Age Rating: 14-18 NFNT Age Recommendation: Teen (13-16)
Creator Representation: Vietnamese American Character Representation: Vietnamese American
This is a book close to my storyteller’s heart highlighting the power of stories to transcend time and place while remaining relevant and personal. Initially, the protagonist Tien and Hien, his mother, listen to each other read folktales to gain language skills and deepen the strong ties between the immigrant mother and her American-born son. She struggles with English and he is not conversant in Vietnamese, but they both comprehend the tales they share. Interwoven with the tales are the very real bittersweet concerns of a mother homesick for Vietnam and the family members left behind and of her teenage son, Tien, who is searching for the precise words in Vietnamese to come out to his parents about his sexuality. The telling of the folktales, intertwined with the personal experience stories, exemplifies the alienation both characters are experiencing and the trials and challenges they must overcome along the way while illuminating the strong family bonds, love, and respect for each other.
The three folktales, the number so pertinent to the genre of western folklore, include two variants of the Cinderella tale type, a loose adaptation of the German variant “Allerleirauh” and “Ta’m Cam” from Vietnam, and The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. They serve to emphasize both the universality of the archetypes and the cultural differences in the traditional tales as well as the innate visual interpretations of the listeners reflecting their own backgrounds and individual needs.
As the author explains in his after note, Tien would be most familiar with the western sensibilities of princess stories popularized by contemporary toys and cartoons reflecting the anachronistic visual details of these tales and these sensibilities are faithfully illustrated in this retelling. The second variant is told by his mother’s aunt on her visit to Vietnam upon the death of her mother. Here, the tale is reminiscent of French colonial elements in the building structures and clothing of the characters. The third tale is told to Tien by his mother, reflecting her visual memories of Vietnam, Hong Kong, and San Francisco. “The mermaid is a stand-in for Helen’s [Hien] experiences, a woman who wanted to escape to another world and manages to make it there at the cost of her ability to communicate. It is this underlying element of not being able to adequately communicate that ties the three folktales and the contemporary story together so successfully. Because the three tales are told with such care and detail, readers of the graphic novel share the stories along with the characters. Nguyen trusts the folklore to do their magic as they illuminate Tien’s struggle to come out to his mother and the unconditional love his mother has for him as she struggles to comprehend what he is trying to tell her. The contemporary story also amplifies the friendship and acceptance that Tien has from his school mates, if not the school administration. There is one dark segment when the teacher and priest’s guidance is detrimental to Tien’s well being, but this is eventually overcome as well.
The expansive retellings are delineated by the light purple backgrounds, while the sandy yellow background signifies Hien’s memories, and Tien’s contemporary 1998 experiences is rendered in tones of red. The black and white illustrations themselves are simple with clean lines and layout except for the marvelous clothes and buildings in the folktales themselves. Most of the illustrations were created digitally, a new, but ultimately successful, experience for Nguyen.
This quiet and reflective book also warms my librarian heart as it validates the effectiveness of libraries and books. It is a book that I raved about to Gina Gagliano, publishing director of Random House Graphic, in a personal conversation without realizing her robust contribution in bringing the book to fruition. I join in Nguyen in thanking her as this is a book I will be raving about in my university courses on comic books and on storytelling and with friends.
Highly recommended for readers of all ages of folktales and those who appreciate the values of compassion and human kindness.
The Magic Fish By Trung Le Nguyen ISBN: 9780593125298 Random House, 2020 Publisher Age Rating: 12 +
Title Details and Representation NFNT Age Recommendation: Teen (13-16) Character Traits: Vietnamese American, Queer Creator Highlights: Vietnamese American, Queer Related to…: Book to Comic
As an underwater Wizard of Oz, writer Amy Chu and illustrator Janet K. Lee’s new graphic novel, Sea Sirens, adds a modern twist to a classic tale. Inspired by L. Frank Baum’s The Sea Fairies, as well as Vietnamese folktales, the co-creators take readers on a fantastical adventure that unfolds within the ocean’s depths.
The story begins ordinarily enough as Trot, a headstrong Vietnamese-American girl enjoys a day of surfing with her one-eyed cat, Cap’n Bill, as her grandfather looks on. After her grandfather becomes confused and wanders off, Trot’s mother decides it is best for the trio to stay home while she is away at work. This does not stop Trot for long, as she soon sneaks back to the seaside with her cantankerous cat in tow. After a huge wave plunges them deep into the ocean, the two enter a magical world filled with kings and queens, extravagant feasts, dangerous wars and a colorful cast of characters led by sirens and their serpentine foes. Trot and Cap’n Bill soon become entangled in this wondrous kingdom, however the big question remains: will they ever be able to find their way back home?
Key in bringing this vivid oceanic world to life are the illustrations, which fill the pages with vibrant hues of blue, red, and orange. Fine lines, including a unique approach to shading faces, provide a breathtaking display that is both lively and engaging. Lee’s line work also provides contrast to the softness of the large swathes of watercolor, enhancing the visual aspects of this sensorial tale.
The only issue I have with the illustrations is a lack of character continuity from frame to frame, which becomes distracting at times. For example, Trot’s age and overall appearance are hard to grasp because of the inconsistencies in her face shape, physical features, and hair. On the other hand, Lee clearly excels at depicting animals and landscapes, which captivated me from page to detailed page.
Overall, I rate this book highly. It tackles tough issues like dealing with Alzheimer’s and growing up in a single-parent home. It also is refreshing to see a Vietnamese-American girl as the protagonist backed up by an ethnically diverse cast of characters. The cultural richness of the book also shines, with the inclusion of the Vietnamese language and flashbacks to grandfather’s life in Vietnam. In addition, the book is just plain fun, emphasizing the importance of family, friendship, and communication. With an open ending, I look forward to more adventures to come.
This book would work well as a read aloud for younger children or as an independent read for the middle grades.
Sea Sirens A Trot & Bill Adventure By Amy Chu Art by Janet Lee ISBN: 9780451480163 Viking, 2019 Publisher Age Rating: 8-12
Browse for more like this title Character Traits: Vietnamese
I think I’ve gotten into the habit of reading graphic novels and expecting them to be lengthy series or intricate stand-alones that neatly wrap up every loose end. Sumo is neither of these things. This open-ended graphic novella is about Scott, a promising college football player who never made it to the pros. His girlfriend has left him and, with nothing left to lose, Scott decides to train at a sumo heya (stable) in Japan. His life as an amateur sumo wrestler isn’t easy. Because of his low ranking, Scott is responsible for cooking and cleaning at the dojo. And if he hopes to have any future as a sumo wrestler, he’s going to have to win his next bout.
Sumo is an elegant story that uses dialogue sparingly, telling Scott’s story in its art, panels, and pacing. Pham weaves three threads of plot together: the present, his past in America, and his past in Japan. The present, told in orange-toned panels, is set in Japan. Scott has become friends with Asami, his instructor’s daughter. He has struggled in his career as a sumo wrestler. He’s a day away from the match that will make or break his career, but Scott has lost his confidence and his center in life. Pham then switches the story to the past in America, using blue panels, where Scott is on the verge of leaving for Japan. His friends throw a meager goodbye party and the girl who left him returns to ask Scott to stay. The third plot thread, done in green, takes place in the past in Japan, where Scott meets Asami for the first time and takes her on a fishing trip.
In interviews, Pham has said that the story’s focus and pacing is influenced by sumo matches, in an attempt to capture the sport’s tradition and beauty. He demonstrates great control in his use of panels. Pham transitions between the present and the two different threads of Scott’s past, gradually shortening the pages given to each plot line. As the big match approaches, we flash quickly between moments, each getting a handful of pages, then a single page, then just a couple of panels. The story has changed from a peaceful reflection on Scott’s history to the sudden moment of truth: will he succeed or not? But Scott has already told us — every moment is the moment of truth.
Pham is well-known for illustrating Level Up by Gene Luen Yang, where his art had a sketchy quality that made use of pale washes. Sumo, by contrast, has rich colors and full, blocky artwork. Wrestlers are bulky, towering barrels that fill each panel. Scott, on the other hand, feels soft and meek, hunching to fit into the panel space. His face is a series of sharp angles and lines, but always full of expression. Pham’s use of color is a treat, particularly in the sections set in the past in Japan, on the fishing trip. He also marks each plot thread with illustrations around the page numbers: the present is an orange square with an inset circle, the American past a blue water tower, and the Japanese past a green fish.
The only place where the artwork doesn’t seem to match the story is the cover. Scott is drawn in greater detail, crouched and dressed in a ceremonial apron, parting waves. This intimidating figure doesn’t jibe with the man we see in the book, but it certainly draws the reader in. It’s the back cover, where Scott is treading water, that shows us his starting point, with the front perhaps pointing at what he may become.
Sumo is brief, weighing in at just a little over 100 pages. However, I’ve come back to the story several times and discovered something new with each reading. Who hasn’t found themselves living a life different from what they imagined? Scott’s facing a moment of decision, but he also realizes that he’s always living that moment. While this book is appropriate for teens, I believe it will appeal more to adults who have been there, but maybe not done what they thought they should. If you choose to carry Sumo in your teen section, be prepared to hand-sell it.
Sumo by Thien Pham ISBN: 9781596435810 First Second, 2012 Publisher Age Rating: 14 and up
Level Up is definitely proof of the old adage that you should never judge a book by its cover. Take one glance at its charming Game Boy-inspired cover design and you might assume you’re about to read a graphic novel about video games. In fact, that’s actually what attracted me to the book in the first place!
However, while video games definitely fit into Level Up’s plot, they are a source of symbolism more than anything else, representing the individuality and free will protagonist Dennis Ouyang desperately tries to cling to. Despite Dennis’s passion for games, his parents (in particular his father) are fixated on the idea that it is their son’s destiny to put his hobby aside and attend medical school and become a gastroenterologist. The core theme of the book is the struggle between making one’s own decisions versus accepting a predetermined path in life.
Author Gene Luen Yang, who made quite a name for himself with previous efforts like American Born Chinese and The Eternal Smile, delivers a lighter read this time around, yet Level Up is every bit as powerful as his other works. It also shares similar storytelling techniques. Specifically, Yang often mixes fantastical elements into his works, and Level Up is no exception. When four angels mysteriously appear after his father’s death, Dennis believes they were sent to ensure he follows his destined path. Readers will begin to question if the angels are simply figments of Dennis’s imagination or something more real than that.
Of special mention is the accompanying artwork by Thien Pham. Pham illustrated Level Up with an almost sketch-like quality and painted the book’s world with soft watercolor shades that effectively match the mood of the text. Dennis Ouyang’s life is at times messy and in upheaval, and Pham’s art appropriately follows suit by being wonderfully imperfect yet full of complexity.
Level Up raises a number of issues that are ripe for discussion. Should we choose our own paths in life or should we follow those that are laid out for us? Is there such a thing as destiny? Why do our parents make the choices for us that they do? Level Up may not take long to finish, but readers will have plenty to ponder and converse about long after they reach the last page, making it an ideal selection for a Young Adult or adult book club.
Level Up by Gene Luen Yang Art by Thien Pham ISBN: 9781596432352 First Second, 2011 Publisher Age Rating: (16+)
Can romantic love truly last beyond the spark of a “first sight” crush, or is it bound by the forces of luck and fate? These themes and questions permeate the romantic drama comedy of award-winning creators Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese, Dragon Hoops) and LeUyen Pham’s (Friends series) Lunar New Year Love Story, a riveting graphic novel of unrequited love spanning across multigenerational and cross-cultural dimensions of family dynamics.
after fighting off a bully in school for having taunted his Vietnamese heritage. From award-winning author and graphic novelist Minh Lê (Drawn Together, Green Lantern: Legacy) and New York Times bestselling illustrator Chan Chau (Baby-Sitter’s Club) comes Enlighten Me, a coming-of-age story steeped in Buddhist traditions, history, and folklore.
Author and illustrator, Thien Pham, shares memories of his life framed around particular foods he remembers. 
This is a book close to my storyteller’s heart highlighting the power of stories to transcend time and place while remaining relevant and personal. Initially, the protagonist Tien and Hien, his mother, listen to each other read folktales to gain language skills and deepen the strong ties between the immigrant mother and her American-born son. She struggles with English and he is not conversant in Vietnamese, but they both comprehend the tales they share. Interwoven with the tales are the very real bittersweet concerns of a mother homesick for Vietnam and the family members left behind and of her teenage son, Tien, who is searching for the precise words in Vietnamese to come out to his parents about his sexuality. The telling of the folktales, intertwined with the personal experience stories, exemplifies the alienation both characters are experiencing and the trials and challenges they must overcome along the way while illuminating the strong family bonds, love, and respect for each other.
As an underwater Wizard of Oz, writer Amy Chu and illustrator Janet K. Lee’s new graphic novel, Sea Sirens, adds a modern twist to a classic tale. Inspired by L. Frank Baum’s The Sea Fairies, as well as Vietnamese folktales, the co-creators take readers on a fantastical adventure that unfolds within the ocean’s depths.
