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Characters
The novel’s protagonist. Jin is a Chinese American boy whose mother and father emigrated from China to San Francisco’s Chinatown, where Jin is born. Jin spends most of his childhood playing with his Transformer toys with other boys in his apartment complex. Not long before Jin’s family moves to the suburbs, the wife of Jin’s mother’s herbalist tells Jin something that sticks with him: that he can be anything he wants as long as he’s willing to sacrifice his soul. In the suburbs, Jin is one of only a couple Asian students and experiences overt racism. This is extremely difficult and isolating, and Jin dedicates himself to become as American and as white as possible. Early on, this means that he “befriends” bullies and takes sandwiches for lunch rather than dumplings or foods that his classmates find disgusting. By the time Jin is in fifth grade and Wei-Chen, a Taiwanese boy, join his class, Jin is so ashamed of his own ethnicity that he wants to beat Wei-Chen up. The two quickly become friends, however—they both love Transformers—and in Wei-Chen’s eyes, Jin is good and kind. This assessment is called into question in seventh grade, when Jin falls in love with Amelia. To woo her, Jin perms his hair so that he looks like his blond and popular classmate Greg, and bullies Wei-Chen into lying for him so he can go on a date with Amelia. At school the next day, Greg asks Jin to not date Amelia because being associated with him could ruin her reputation, and Jin snaps. He kisses Wei-Chen’s girlfriend, Suzy, and insults Wei-Chen instead of apologizing. That night, the herbalist’s wife comes to Jin in a dream and turns him into Danny, a handsome white boy. Danny is obsessed with being popular, so yearly visits of his Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee, pose major problems for him. Chin-Kee embodies many negative, racist stereotypes about Chinese people, and his antics cause Danny’s classmates to think of him only as Chin-Kee’s cousin. When other students are kind to Danny, he lashes out and only seems interested in wooing his love interest, Melanie. Danny eventually discovers that Chin-Kee is actually the Monkey King and Wei-Chen’s father, and that Wei-Chen is an emissary of Tze-Yo-Tzuh who was sent on an earthly mission to live without vice for 40 years. Danny reassumes his form as Jin and seems to take the Monkey King’s advice to take pride in who he is to heart. As Jin, he makes up with Wei-Chen.
Jin Wang/Danny Quotes in American Born Chinese
The American Born Chinese quotes below are all either spoken by Jin Wang/Danny or refer to Jin Wang/Danny. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 2 Quotes
“Yeah, but Ma-Ma says that’s silly. Little boys don’t grow up to be Transformers.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I’m going to let you in on a secret, little friend: it’s easy to become anything you wish...
...so long as you’re willing to forfeit your soul.”
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While Jin sits in the front of the herbalist’s shop where his mother goes every weekend, he shares his desire to grow up to be a Transformer like the toys he plays with. The herbalist’s wife says that it’s actually possible to transform oneself, as long as Jin agrees to give up his soul. It’s significant that Jin looks disturbed in this frame’s illustration, as though the thought of giving up his soul is something abhorrent, and moreover, something he’s never thought of doing. Despite this initial reaction, however, Jin soon must contend with the realization that giving up his Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis.
“Class, I’d like us all to give a warm Mayflower welcome to your new friend and classmate Jing Jang!”
“Jin Wang.”
“Jin Wang! He and his family moved to our neighborhood all the way from China!”
“San Francisco.”
“San Francisco!”
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As Mrs. Greeder introduces Jin to the other students in his third-grade class, she mispronounces his name and incorrectly identifies where he lived before coming to the suburbs. This shows, first of all, that Mrs. Greeder probably didn’t ask Jin his name or to confirm any biographical details before she introduced him to the class. In a generous reading, this could mean that Mrs. Greeder simply doesn’t take much of an interest in any of her students, but a more critical take suggests that Mrs. Greeder pronounces Jin’s name the way she does and insists he came from China because Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaq
“My momma says Chinese people eat dogs.”
“Now be nice, Timmy! I’m sure Jin doesn’t do that! In fact, Jin’s family probably stopped that sort of thing as soon as they came to the United States!”
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Following Mrs. Greeder’s introduction of Jin, Timmy raises his hand to share that according to his mom, Chinese people eat dogs. It’s important to keep in mind the origins of the stereotype that Asian people (as a monolithic group, regardless of national origin) eat dogs. While dog meat is sometimes a part of Asian cuisine, the stereotype that all Asian people (and particularly Asian American people) do so casts Asian people as barbarians who will capture, kill, and eat man’s best friend—in other words, it has little connection to the actual practice and is really just a way of dehumanizing Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta.
“Class, I’d like us all to give a big Mayflower Elementary welcome to your new friend and classmate Chei-Chen Chun!”
“Wei-Chen Sun.”
“Wei-Chen Sun! He and his family recently moved to our neighborhood all the way from China!”
“Taiwan.”
“Taiwan!”
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In fifth grade, when Wei-Chen moves from Taiwan and starts school with Jin, the teacher’s introduction follows, almost word for word, the introduction that Mrs. Greeder showed Jin when he first moved to the suburbs. As with the first occurrence, this is a way for the teacher, possibly unintentionally, to show the class that he himself holds racist stereotypes against Asian people. Wei-Chen and Jin’s teacher makes it clear that he doesn’t value Wei-Chen enough to check on his name first, or ask where he lived before—and therefore, none of Wei-Chen’s classmates should bother to gather this information either. The Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim
Something made me want to beat him up.
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After the teacher introduces Wei-Chen to the class, Jin inexplicably wants to beat up Wei-Chen. Keep in mind that by his point, Jin has been in the suburbs for somewhere between two and three years, and has been dealing with his classmates’ racism and bullying that entire time. In other words, Jin has spent years living in a place where he’s constantly bullied for being Chinese, whether because of the food he eats or the way he looks. On the whole, the novel suggests that it’s impossible to exist in this kind of environment without internalizing this kind of negative Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Vo
Chapter 4 Quotes
“Silly monkey. You were never out of my reach. You only fooled yourself.”
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When the Monkey King discovers that the five pillars at the edge of the universe that he defaced and urinated on were actually Tze-Yo-Tzuh’s hands, Tze-Yo-Tzuh insists that the Monkey King was simply fooling himself that he could escape. Though Tze-Yo-Tzuh is a deity and his own person within the novel, he’s also the person who created the entire universe in which the Monkey King’s story takes place—and, by extension, created who and what the Monkey King is. In this sense, Tze-Yo-Tzuh is responsible for the Monkey King’s identity. His insistence, then, that the Monkey King only fooled himself suggests Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. M
Chapter 5 Quotes
“When I move here to America, I was afraid nobody wants to be my friend. I come from a different place. Much, much different. But my first day in school here I meet Jin. From then I know everything’s okay. He treat me like a little brother, show me how things work in America. He help me with my English [...] I think sometimes my accent embarrass him, but Jin still willing to be my friend.”
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While stuck in a supply closet with Amelia, Wei-Chen tells her about his friendship with Jin, and how kind Jin is to him. Though the reader doesn’t know it yet, it’s eventually revealed that Wei-Chen is actually one of the Monkey King’s sons and an emissary of Tze-Yo-Tzuh, sent to Earth to serve the deity. Because of this, it’s possible to read Wei-Chen himself as a version of Tze-Yo-Tzuh in Jin’s story—that is, someone who has an accurate read on who Jin is inside. Even though Jin has already behaved in questionable or rude ways (initially refusing to be friends Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusan
Chapter 6 Quotes
“Ooh ooh! Chin-Kee know dis one!”
“Put your hand down!”
“Go ahead...Chin-Kee, was it?”
“Judicial, executive, and registrative!”
“Good, Chin-Kee! Very good! You know, people—it would behoove you all to be a little more like Chin-Kee.”
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When Danny, who is white, takes his Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee, to school with him, Chin-Kee is able to correctly answer every question Jin’s teachers pose to the class—and even more humiliatingly for Danny, his government teacher suggests that his students should all be more like Chin-Kee. Chin-Kee’s seeming encyclopedic knowledge of every high school subject draws on the stereotype that Asian people are naturally academically gifted, unlike their white counterparts. In this moment, it’s significant that Danny looks white to the reader—Danny is merely the white persona of Jin, and the novel suggests through his classmates’ reactions that to them, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque
“Every year around this time, I finally start getting the hang of things, you know? [...] Then he comes along for one of his visits.”
“Who?”
“Chin-Kee, my cousin. He’s been visiting me once a year since the eighth grade. He comes for a week or two and follows me to school, talking his stupid talk and eating his stupid food. Embarrassing the crap out of me. By the time he leaves, no one things of me as Danny anymore. I’m Chin-Kee’s cousin.”
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After missing basketball practice, Danny confides in Steve that every year, just as he gets settled at a new school, Chin-Kee visits and ruins everything for him. The specific “crimes” that Danny lists, eating “stupid food” and speaking “stupid talk” speak to the way in which Danny has learned to despise everything that has to do with being Chinese. Given that Danny is merely the white persona of Jin, it seems that Chin-Kee’s antics remind Jin of everything he’s trying to leave behind by becoming Danny in the first place—that is, concerns expressed by those like Greg that Jin is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Duc
“People here aren’t like that. No one ever says anything about my weight. Well, maybe that’s because I broke Todd Sharpnack’s nose for calling me ‘Mr. Jiggles’ when we were freshmen. But whatever. People here are different. You’ll see. Heck, if anyone ever gives you trouble, I’ll break his nose.”
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Kindly, Steve tells Danny that people at Oliphant High School aren’t racist like Danny fears they are, simply because they don’t torment Steve for being overweight. Though Steve is trying to be generous and kind to Danny here, it’s somewhat short-sighted to compare his weight to being Chinese—though he may suffer from stereotypes about overweight people, Steve is also white, male, popular, and on the basketball team—things that give him a great deal of power to push back when and if people do bully him. It’s possible that if Danny—who, keep in mind, only looks white to the reader; to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui
Chapter 8 Quotes
“It’s just that she’s a good friend and I want to make sure she makes good choices, you know? We’re almost in high school. She has to start paying attention to who she hangs out with.
Aw, geez. Look, Jin. I’m sorry. That sounded way harsher than I meant it to. I just don’t know if you’re right for her, okay? That’s all.”
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The day after Jin’s successful movie date with Amelia, Greg pulls Jin aside and asks him to not ask Amelia out again, citing Amelia’s reputation as they enter high school as his reasoning. In reality, what Greg is saying is that it’ll be damaging to Amelia’s reputation to be romantically involved with an unpopular Chinese American boy, no matter how many qualities Jin might have that would make him a good romantic partner. Importantly, Greg doesn’t seem to fully recognize how unkind and racist he’s being here—he’s doing this, supposedly, in service of his friend and is certain that Jin Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commo
“About twenty minutes into the party, though, I figured out that Lauren didn’t actually invite me. Her mom wanted to hang out with my mom, and I sort of just got brought along. Lauren and her new friends had their own thing going, so I spent the rest of the party watching TV in the living room. I felt so embarrassed.
...Today, when Timmy called me a...a chink, I realized...deep down inside...I kind of feel like that all the time.”
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Outside after school, Suzy shares with Jin her embarrassing experience at a party over the weekend, and admits that on some level, she constantly feels embarrassed and excluded. That Suzy feels this way speaks to the immense damage that can be done through constant exposure to negative stereotypes and bullying. Suzy, like Jin, has to deal with Timmy and their classmates’ unending stream of racist comments and remarks. Further, Jin, Suzy, and Wei-Chen’s experiences in the classroom have made it clear to them that they cannot rely on their teachers to shut down this kind of racist bullying, as the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum volupt
I replayed the day’s events over and over again in my mind. Each time I reached the same conclusion: Wei-Chen needed to hear what I had to say. It was, after all, the truth. And at around three in the morning, I finally believed myself.
I dreamt of the herbalist’s wife.
“So, little friend. You’ve done it. Now what would you like to become?”
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The night after telling Wei-Chen that Wei-Chen isn’t good enough for Suzy because he’s too much of a new immigrant, Jin convinces himself that he was correct in his assessment and then dreams of the herbalist’s wife. The herbalist’s wife turns Jin into Danny. When considering what happened before this moment, it’s easy to see how Jin got to the point where he has, as the herbalist said in Jin’s first chapter, “forfeited his soul.” Jin kissed Suzy, a friend, against her will, and then insulted Wei-Chen, Suzy’s boyfriend, in an attempt to deal with his own conflicting emotions about Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Volupt
Chapter 9 Quotes
“Take this with you. It’s a human child’s toy that transforms from monkey to humanoid form. Let it remind you of who you are.”
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Wei-Chen, in his monkey form, is about to descend to Earth for his test of virtue—to live among humans for 40 years without vice—and his father, the Monkey King, gives him a Transformer toy to remind him of who he is. Here, the novel shows that the idea of transforming doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Wei-Chen’s transformation into a human is supposed to be so that he can serve humanity and spread the word of Tze-Yo-Tzuh, something that the novel presents as wholly positive. However, Wei-Chen undergoes this change in identity in a fundamentally different way than either Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis.
“You misunderstand my intentions, Jin. I did not come to punish you. I came to serve as your conscience—as a signpost to your soul.”
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As the Monkey King and Jin stare at the puppet head of Chin-Kee (who is really the Monkey King in disguise), the Monkey King explains to Jin that he hasn’t been visiting yearly to punish him or to punish Wei-Chen: he’s been coming to essentially remind Jin of who he is. Chin-Kee, in this moment, reminds Jin that over the last few years, he’s done everything in his power to separate himself from his identity as a Chinese American person, down to transforming himself into the white persona of Danny. Because of this, the Monkey King embodied Chin-Kee when he Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem ac
“You know, Jin, I would have saved myself from five hundred years’ imprisonment beneath a mountain of rock had I only realized how good it is to be a monkey.”
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Before returning to Heaven, the Monkey King leaves Jin with some parting wisdom: that the best thing in the world is to be oneself. While Jin hasn’t had to spend 500 years trapped under a mountain of rock like the Monkey King has, he has spent the last several years walking around in an identity that’s not his own, acting in ways that he knows he shouldn’t and doesn’t want to, and denying everything about his identity as a young Chinese American. The Monkey King wants Jin to realize that this kind of angst is unnecessary; Jin just needs to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliq
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Jin Wang/Danny Character Timeline in American Born Chinese
The timeline below shows where the character Jin Wang/Danny appears in American Born Chinese. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
On their way to their new house, Jin’s mother tells Jin a Chinese parable. She says that long ago, a mother lived with...
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Jin’s parents arrived in America at the same airport in the same week, but they didn’t...
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Every Sunday, Jin’s mother visits the Chinese herbalist and takes Jin with her. The appointments often seem to...
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The day after Jin’s family moves into their new home, Jin starts third grade at Mayflower Elementary School. Mrs....
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Every day at lunch and recess, while the other kids play, Jin eats by himself at a picnic table. On one of Jin’s first days at school,...
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Jin makes his first friend about three months later. His name is Peter, and he’s known...
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...Wei-Chen corrects the teacher on his name and that he’s from Taiwan. For some reason, Jin wants to beat Wei-Chen up. Wei-Chen looks uncool: he wears huge glasses, a robot shirt,...
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Wei-Chen sits down a little ways away from Jin and sadly pulls out a Transformer. This sparks Jin’s interest. Wei-Chen explains that his Transformer...
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Chapter 3
...bottom of the frame. In a suburban California home, two white teenagers named Melanie and Danny study chemistry. Danny drools, and the laugh track plays when Melanie calls him out. Melanie...
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Chapter 5
One day in seventh-grade English class, Jin notices a girl named Amelia for the first time when she takes off her sweater...
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Not long after this, Jin’s science teacher, Mr. Graham, introduces the class to several animals—a lizard, a monkey, and a...
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Jin stares across the room at Greg and Amelia, who are chatting happily, and later asks...
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Jin tells Wei-Chen and Suzy that they’re awful as they continue to laugh uncontrollably. Timmy and...
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...down to wait for someone to rescue them. Wei-Chen shares that he’s supposed to meet Jin after school, and Jin will figure out where they are.
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Amelia confirms that Jin is the Asian boy with the Afro and then asks if Wei-Chen and Jin are...
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Wei-Chen smiles to himself and Amelia asks if Jin likes her. With a laugh, Wei-Chen tells Amelia to ask Jin herself. Meanwhile, Jin waits...
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Chapter 6
...as the bell rings, signaling the start of the school day at Oliphant High School. Danny and Chin-Kee sneak in after the bell. Chin-Kee is annoyed that Danny brought him late,...
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...correctly identifies bones in anatomy class, solves equations in math, and answers questions in Spanish. Danny becomes more and more embarrassed. At lunchtime, he sits moodily next to Chin-Kee, who happily...
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Steve starts to engage Chin-Kee in conversation, but Danny interjects and asks if Steve has a copy of the game schedule. Steve opens his...
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Chin-Kee answers questions correctly in chemistry and English, which embarrasses Danny as the laugh track runs. After school, Danny gets his detention slip. Chin-Kee taunts Danny...
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Danny comes across Melanie in the hallway and apologizes about what Chin-Kee said last night. Melanie...
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After detention, Danny goes to the gym and sits under the basketball hoop. Steve comes up to Danny,...
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Steve is quiet for a moment, but he assures Danny that that won’t happen here. Steve says that no one at Oliphant is like that,...
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Chapter 8
Jin’s mother once said she married Jin’s father because he had the thickest glasses. His thick...
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As Jin explains this to the reader, he pleads with Wei-Chen to tell Jin’s parents that they’re...
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Jin tells the reader that he has a cousin named Charlie. Charlie is a few years...
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Jin and Amelia sit awkwardly in the theater until Amelia remarks that the movie is about...
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Jin races back to the auditorium and retakes his seat next to Amelia. As she sighs...
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That night, Jin feels haunted by the possibility that Amelia was just too polite to say anything about...
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...with other boys, watches curiously. Amelia says she had lots of fun. Wei-Chen asks if Jin was nice and funny. Amelia answers affirmatively, but is confused when Wei-Chen asks if Jin...
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For the entire morning, Jin dreams of his future with Amelia. In his daydreams, Amelia quickly says she loves Jin....
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Jin stares at Greg, dumbfounded. Greg apologizes for his request sounding so harsh, but says he...
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When the bell rings, Jin’s hair seems to crackle as he marches through the hallways to where Amelia chats with...
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Outside the school, Jin finds Suzy sitting on a low wall, waiting for Wei-Chen to get out of his...
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...recounts that she was so embarrassed. As her eyes fill with tears, she turns to Jin and says that earlier, Timmy called her a “chink.” She realized that she kind of...
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Jin sits at home with an ice pack on his cheek when the doorbell rings. It’s...
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Jin glumly ices his cheeks. That night, he struggles to fall asleep. He plays the day’s...
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Chapter 9
The laugh track applauds at the sight of the high school library. Danny angrily walks in and overhears two guys saying that “he” spit on them. One guy...
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Danny grabs Chin-Kee’s clothes and spits that he’s sick of Chin-Kee ruining his life, so it’s...
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As the laugh track continues, Danny tries to come up behind Chin-Kee. Chin-Kee, however, hits Danny with different martial arts moves:...
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Danny sweats and his fists shake as the laugh track begins to expand outside of the...
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The Monkey King says that Wei-Chen Sun, Jin’s friend from junior high, is his son. He explains that soon after he became an...
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The Monkey King tells Jin that after this, Wei-Chen stopped accepting his visits, so he started visiting Jin instead. Jin...
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...into the sky, but he drops a business card for a Chinese bakery and restaurant. Jin catches it and then heads home. He asks his father to borrow the car keys....
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Jin goes to the restaurant listed on the business card from the Monkey King, the 490...
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Over some pearl milk tea, Jin shares with Wei-Chen about his visit from the Monkey King. Wei-Chen asks why Jin is...
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