Reading Prep Sheet American Born Chinese (Gene Yang) Before Reading Consider the way you would define “culture”: what components make up the idea of culture (religion, geography, family life, class status, language, etc.)? How does culture play a role in shaping who you are, how you see the world around you, and how you interact with other people? If you’ve never seen an episode of the sitcom Seinfeld before, you might want to watch one before reading this book, to see how the writers of this show bring together different storylines into one resolution. Some recommendations would be: “The Marine Biologist” (Season 5, Episode 19) or “The Mom and Pop Store” (Season 6, Episode 8) or “The Secret Code” (Season 7, Episode 7) or “The Strike” (Season 9, Episode 10). Yang’s book brings together three distinct storylines in a similar way. While Reading As you read the story of the Monkey King, you could consider the ways that myths and legends function in your culture (including religious stories such as those found in the Bible or other religious texts). We often consider that these stories are designed to teach us or that they reveal something about our culture and what we hold dear. What seems to be the function of the story of the Monkey King? Identify panels and pages that stand out to you because of their visuals (use of color, positioning or arrangement, repetition, etc.) and come prepared to share and talk about the pages you’ve marked. Although Jin’s story features experiences that are unique to Asian Americans, some experiences have more universal appeal. Where do you draw some universal connections between Jin and other adolescents? What about his experiences resonates with all teenagers? After Reading Think about how the three different storylines have come together. Do all three have the same “meaning” (i.e., are they trying to communicate the same idea) or do they each do something a little different? .