I love Gene Yang's work. This one is no exception. His artistry in storytelling and illustration come together beautifully to tell the story of the Boxer Rebellion. In this volume the reader learns the story of Little Bao, a boy growing up in rural China. He is dreamy eyed when the story opens, but soon trouble comes from an unlikely place. The trouble is Christian converts and the foreign missionaries who came to convert China. These people are anything but Christian. Soon, Bao joins a secret society that is sworn to fight off these "devils." Yang tells the story from an unbiased point of view and clearly illustrates (pun intended) the monstrosities that we're committed by both sides. This is one you do not want to miss. Not all comic books are for kids. Gene Luen Yang, author of Boxers, uses historical fiction to tell the story of a Chinese warrior, Bao, in the 1800s. I chose to read this book because it looked interesting. The book looked easy to read. The main character Bao was always made fun of by his brothers because he was the youngest child and didn’t know much. He wanted to learn kung foo but his brothers always doubted him. He watches his brothers practice kung foo with the Red Lantern, their kung foo teacher. Then Red Lantern sees Bao watching them and practicing with them from afar. Red Lantern asks Bao if he needs help and Bao says yes. Bao ends up getting powers from Master Big Belly and becomes a powerful guy and starts teaching other people, asking them to join him to fight the enemy. In the end, Bao is shot by the enemy along with his brothers and everyone in his village. His powers fade away and he dies. Bao fights to save his town but it ends up not working.Even though he dies, it was a good thing that he tried to fight for his village because he tried to save his friends and family. He put in an effort. If he had not fought for them, they would’ve lived miserable lives under the enemy's rule. He showed courage and had hope that they could live peacefully. My favorite part was when he dies and looks up to see the Gods of the Opera in the sky, leaving the earth. This part was important to me because its the last thing he sees as he dies: the Gods of the Opera leaving the earth. “Maybe Lantern didn’t mean for me to train with Big Belly.” I liked this quote because he was doubting Master Big Belly and thinking that Big Belly wasn’t really teaching him anything.He wanted to go back to Red Lantern but he didn’t go back because he had to preserve and trust Red Lantern. The book was good because it was fun to read. I enjoyed the pictures and the characters; the characters were all a part of the war. I liked that they all had a specific role in the story and they appeared more than once or twice. I connected this book to Dogs of War because they’re both about heros in a war setting. People who like comic books should read this book about war.
What do You think about Boxers (2013)?
Helped to read the two together. I read them in reverse order but it still worked ok.
—xxxchuchixxx
Interesting perspective and very informative about the boxer rebellion.
—zeta666
An amazing look at history. Can't believe I'm just now reading these!
—Beth
I guess I'm starting to read more graphic novels.
—michelababe
