onlineconferencewithgeneyang

Maddy English 8-4 October 24, 2008 My Reflections on the Online Conference with Gene Yang I have always wondered what an author is thinking when he or she writes his or her book. Are they faced with the same emotions that I am? Am I reading too much into a sentence? As I read American Born Chinese these questions bothered me more than ever. I was enraged at the ignorance of some of the characters. At other times I almost cried out of pity for the characters. Is this how Gene Yang felt when he wrote his graphic novel? On Tuesday, October 21 I had the opportunity to hear his thoughts on the book. Gene Yang talked with the eighth grade about how he went about the writing process and his thoughts and feelings as he put words and pictures on paper. I got a better understanding of the book because of the online conference. Gene admitted that he felt a little uncomfortable writing racial slurs and prejudiced comments that insulted people of his own heritage. He told us of the reactions he got from readers on the racism in the book. Some people were very offended when they read the book, even the people who were not Asian-American. Others said that they laughed uncomfortably at the racist stereotypes. These were the reactions that Gene was trying to get but not everyone got the point. Many readers said “Ohhh Chin-Kee is so cute!” and “You should make stuffed Chin-Kee toys! We would love that.” Gene Yang said that these reactions made him uncomfortable. The author shared a surprising and funny fact during the conference; he did not know how to write the Chinese characters that are presented in his book. His mom wrote out the characters for him and he copied them into his own handwriting. Gene Yang didn’t always want to be a graphic novel author. He originally wanted to be a Disney animator. Gene changed his mind when he realized that animators work in teams. He wanted to share his own story with the world, not a story that was only partially his. I walked away from the conference with my questions about the book answered which lead to a better understanding of this very thought provoking, graphic novel. The online conference was a great success in my opinion. I have learned invaluable information and I have a much greater understanding of the book. The most amazing part about the conference was the convenience for Gene Yang and the school. Gene did not have to travel anywhere to talk with us nor did we have to travel to him. This new way of communicating will be a great help to authors because so many people want the chance to talk to them yet they can’t be all of those places at once. Overall this has been a great experience and I can’t wait for another opportunity.