Monkeys! Cartoons! American Born Chinese is sure to get the attention of students who might not otherwise enjoy lit class; as a graphic novel, it's quick, fun, full of action and antics, and is kind of like a video-game-turned-book. Thankfully, it's also full of deep meaning and has lots to discuss: What's identity? What happens when you don't know or don't like who you are? How does cultural identity affect personal identity? What about when you're totally different from everyone around you and want to fit in? Who am I?!

It probably won't be too difficult to get your students to sit down to read the book. It might not even be that difficult to get them to discuss the deep stuff because identity's a big deal in the formative teenage years. If they do gloss over things, try to ask lots of open-ended questions (think small group and whole class discussions, essay questions) and make sure to point out the relevancy of the book to where they are or have been in life.