Introduction
Contemporary children’s/adolescent literature helps young American readers explore the world around them and understand themselves better. Notably, the twentieth century became the period when writers pertaining to different ethnic backgrounds started telling stories about their experiences and their lives.
Asian American writers were among those who wanted to share their experiences (opinions, dreams, ideas, fears) and help their counterparts face certain challenges and solve various issues. Like any other non-white writers, Asian American authors’ works have been subjected to “marginalization and erasure” (De Manuel and Davis v).
Nonetheless, these authors could not be silenced as their powerful works drew the attention of children, adolescents, as well as adults. One of the writers who managed to make Asian American experiences visible is Laurence Michael Yep. He is a prolific Chinese American author who created numerous works, including short stories, plays, picture books, and numerous amazing books for children and adolescents.
The works of this writer often have several recurrent topics, which are close to children, especially Asian American ones, which makes his books so popular.
Brief Biography and Its Influence on His Works
It is clear that personal experiences have a tremendous effect on authors’ creativity and the way they express it. Therefore, prior to exploring major topics of Laurence Yep’s works, it is important to consider some facts from the writer’s life. Laurence Yep was born in San Francisco in 1948 (Lawrence 10). He was the second child.
His father, Gim Lew Yep, was born in China in 1914, and he came to the USA when he was ten. Gim Yep owned a small grocery store in the 1950s. This store had quite a significant impact on Laurence Yep’s development. Completing chores made him understood the benefits of a certain rhythm, and this enabled him to be such a prolific author (Lawrence 16). Of course, the future writer’s life was not confined to the store only.
Importantly, when the future writer was seven years old, some significant changes took place, and his “old world was shattered as… The gray, lifeless hills” appeared in the street he lived (qt. in Lawrence 16). There was a governmental program aimed at providing low-income families with affordable apartments, and the multistoried buildings appeared.
Clearly, Yep did not have his old friends who had to leave, and he felt lonely. The neighborhood also played a significant role in the life of the writer. He lived in quite a poor neighborhood with predominantly African American neighbors. There were white people and Asian neighbors, as well. This diverse population increased his feeling of loneliness.
It is possible to describe one episode from the author’s life to understand the way this feeling was developing. One day, children from the neighborhood were playing, and they pretended to be soldiers in World War II. At some point, they turned to Laurence and started chasing him as they thought he was Japanese. Yep understood that those people simply did not understand and did not care that he was Chinese (Lawrence 18).
Such experiences shaped his attitude towards ethnicity and his place in the world and US society. In his autobiographical book, he wrote, “I was the Chinese American raised in a black neighborhood, a child who had become too American to fit into Chinatown and too Chinese to fit in elsewhere” (Yep The Lost Garden 91).
Clearly, years at school were also filled with various experiences. It is noteworthy that he started writing fiction when he was still in high school (Lawrence 25). After his graduation, he entered Marquette University. He later graduated from the University of California (Santa Cruz) and the State University of New York (Buffalo). He made writing his profession. He noted:
When I wrote, I went from being a puzzle to a puzzle solver… I could take these different elements, each of which belonged to something else, and dip them into my imagination where they were melted down and cast into new shapes so that they became uniquely mine. (qtd. in De Manuel and Davis x)
Laurence Yep received a number of rewards for his works, including the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal. He managed to tell the stories that are close to young Chinese Americans as well as young readers pertaining to other ethnic groups who could learn more about the Chinese culture. The author explored such topics as otherness, loneliness, finding one’s own place in the diverse world. He also opened up the world of Chinese legends and myths.
Major Themes
Otherness
Laurence Yep explored various topics. These topics are clear to all children and adolescents; they are especially close to young Asian American readers. One of the major topics that can be traced in the majority of his works is the concept of otherness. Yep stresses that he felt an alien in the family of his athletic parents and brother. He adds, “I felt not only inadequate but incomplete – like a puzzle with several key pieces missing” (Lawrence 15). Hence, he felt he was other, and he could not even find a place in his own family.
Of course, his feeling of otherness only increased when he started communicating and interacting with other children and adults. As has been mentioned above, the writer was raised in a predominantly black neighborhood. Though there were other Asian Americans, they were not Chinese Asians, which made Yep still different. This affected the writer greatly, and his feelings were revealed in his works.
In one of Yep’s most popular books, Dragon of the Lost Sea, the protagonists are similar to the author. They are also different, and they do not belong to the village where they encounter.
The author reveals the words that could persistently sound in his ears, “We don’t want your kind here” (Yep Dragon of The Lost Sea 5). In this book, the otherness of the protagonists let them find only each other. They were outsiders and exiles for others. The book’s major motif is otherness, and it seems there are only a few ways to find one’s own place (Lawrence 68).
The idea of otherness is emphasized in each book by the appearance of disguised characters. In Yep’s books, the vast majority of characters have to live in the human world, hiding their identities as their otherness would make them too vulnerable or will make other people uneasy.
For instance, in the book City of Fire, the first book of the famous trilogy, the cities of the world are filled with various spirits, naiads and sprites wearing “baggy civil-service uniforms” who have to focus on their major duties while remaining in their disguise and trying to fit into the society (Yep City of Fire 13).
Clearly, this topic is quite close to children’s and teenagers’ hearts, especially if these are Asian Americans. These young readers often feel that they do not belong to the place they have to live in. They feel that they are different and that they are not understood. Of course, people around them show their hostility or certain alienation. These young people often have to wear some kind of disguise to fit into the community of their peers.
Unfortunately, this is often an ineffective strategy, and many Asian American children and teenagers have to face numerous challenges. This is what makes Yep’s books so popular among young Asian American readers. He is writing about their concerns. His books also help readers escape from reality, at least, during a short period.
Loneliness
Clearly, otherness is often accompanied by loneliness as it is difficult to fit in, and some young people have to live in certain alienation. The author notes that his loneliness and certain kind of alienation started when he was seven. As has been mentioned above, his childhood experiences were transferred into his books. Remarkably, many young readers could associate themselves with some characters as well as the author whose voice is often explicit.
Thus, the protagonists of the famous Dragon of the Lost Sea feel lonely, as they are not accepted in society. The “thought of being alone in the world” often haunted the main characters of the book while they focused on their quest (Yep Dragon of the Lost Sea 46). They knew there was a place where they could feel at home, where they did not have to wear masks and disguises.
They did not have many people to rely on during their quest, and this is why the journey was quite challenging. They were often surrounded by enemies and hostile creatures who wanted to destroy them.
Likewise, many young Asian Americans feel they are quite lonely as they do not have many friends or even people who could understand their needs, fears, dreams. In fact, these Asian Americans often felt they did not understand themselves. Of course, the feeling of loneliness increases in such circumstances.
The main characters of another book had to start a quest that “led to a lonely weariness” as there was no one to assist them (Yep City of Fire 162). Again, they understood that the feeling of loneliness would haunt them until they find the place they belong to. Likewise, Asian American children and teenagers often feel lonely in their search for their own place in the world. There is no one to help them understand themselves.
In the famous book, Dragonwings, which entails numerous autobiographical data, the mother says to his son:
The white demons won’t let any Chinese women into their country. So the men have to go alone. (Yep Dragonwings 9)
Thus, the author reveals the experience of an immigrant child who has to be separated from his mother, let alone his friends and relatives. Loneliness is one of the major characteristic features of experiences Asian Americans have had to face. Clearly, the author expresses his grief, as he understands that loneliness is not good for people as they have to socialize with their peers, their friends, their relatives (Lawrence 18).
Yep stresses that he is not sure whether he “would have become a writer if [his] life had been allowed to follow a conventional, comfortable track” (qtd. in Lawrence 17). Hence, he emphasizes that being lonely and alone cannot be natural. Asian American readers often feel lonely as they are different, and they can often be aliens among their peers. These young people need support, but they fail to get it from their peers. They can find conciliation in Yep’s books.
Identity
Apart from the topics mentioned above, the author also explores such important issues as identity. Clearly, all children and especially teenagers, find this issue essential. They want to understand who they are, what they want, what they need, and what they can do about it. When it comes to Asian Americans, this issue comes to the fore, as they want to understand who they are.
The author explores his own “bicultural identity” through writing stories that can be often seen as a mix of Chinese and American values, realities, and myths (Baghban 44). Thus, the entire book Dragonwings is the journey, during which the protagonist understands the new culture and develops his own identity.
The Dragon’s Child is another autobiographical work that focuses on the issues associated with the identity (Brown 59). The son is talking to his father while trying to develop his own identity. These works contain a very realistic presentation of the life of a young immigrant in a big country where everything is unclear, different, and quite hostile.
It is necessary to note that the way Yep manages to mix the American reality with Chinese legends and myths is remarkable. He creates a dualistic reality that consists of American and Chinese components (De Manuel and Davis x). Of course, such works as the City of Fire and Dragon of the Lost Sea also contain an exploration of the idea of identity. In those works, the protagonists are trying to understand who they really are and what their place in this world is. They face many challenges, and, as they mature, they explore their identity.
Clearly, young readers of these books are also able to explore their own identity and the way this exploration can be held. Young Asian Americans are often torn between American and Chinese cultures, and it can be difficult to understand for them who they really are. Yep’s books reveal his own path that can be helpful for many young people. The author reveals the two worlds Asian Americans have to live in (associated with the Chinese heritage and American culture).
Importantly, it is clear that young people should not choose between the two worlds, but they have to find their place in both worlds through appreciation of the Chinese heritage and acceptance of American values. This can bring peace to their souls, and this can make them valuable members of the American society who will be able to share their knowledge/experiences and contribute to the development of the country.
Finding Own Place
The last topic to be discussed is the one concerning one’s own place. It is closely connected with the topics mentioned above, especially when it comes to identity. Finding one’s place is explored in different ways, and it is presented in different forms.
For instance, in such books as the City of Fire and Dragon of the Lost Sea, the search for one’s place is quite metaphorical. Hence, the protagonists of the books do not feel they belong to certain places, and they start their own journey to the place where they truly belong. They want to feel they can be integrated into the world around them. There is hope that they will find the place and they will become happy there.
These ideas are common for teenagers and children who want to stay in a place they feel safe. While children grow up, the world around them becomes bigger, and it seems more hostile. Many young people, especially ethnic minorities, feel they do not belong to the place they have to live in. They are not accepted; they are often alienated. Of course, these children and teenagers are searching for a place where they would feel safe. For some, it becomes very difficult, and they find their comfort in reading such books as Yep’s works.
At the same time, Yep provides a particular example of the way the place can be found. He tells stories of his family (his father’s and his own experiences). In The Dragon’s Child, the author depicts a young immigrant’s way to his own place (Brown 60).
Yep describes the circumstances his father (and he) had to handle. Eventually, the protagonist understands what his place is and how he can live in a new country. It is important to stress that this is not achieved through complete assimilations. The author shows that appreciation of heritage is crucial for living in peace with oneself.
Of course, these experiences revealed in the books will help many young Asian American readers (as well as people pertaining to other ethnicities) find their place in the world and understand who they are. This is another reason why Yep’s books are so popular and why they have become great examples of Asian American children’s literature.
Conclusion
To sum up, it is possible to note that Yep is the author who helps Asian Americans, as well as other minorities, understand themselves and find their place through reading his books. The writer incorporates his experience into each of his works (be it a picture book, a novel, or an autobiographical account).
The author explores such important topics as otherness, loneliness, identity, and searching for one’s own place. Many young readers, especially those pertaining to ethnic minorities, are trying to find answers to the same questions. It is noteworthy that the books provide many tips to such searchers. Many readers feel they recognize themselves in the books as they often face the same obstacles.
Clearly, it is crucial to help young readers learn more about such interesting and helpful books. Such children’s literature should be available for students during their school years. They should read such books and share their ideas on topics discussed in the works.
Importantly, though Asian Americans will benefit most from reading Yep’s books as they contain a mix of Chinese and American cultures, young Whites and those pertaining to other ethnic minorities should also take part in the discussion of the topics. This will enable young people to learn more about other cultures and learn how to live together in a highly diverse US society. There can be no doubt that such discussions will decrease the amount of prejudice and tension in society.
Works Cited
Baghban, Marcia. “Conversations with Yep and Soentpiet: Negotiating between cultures: Establishing a Multicultural Identity Through Writing and Illustrating.” The Dragon Lode 18.2 (2000): 41-51. Print.
Brown, Joanne. Immigration Narratives in Young Adult Literature: Crossing Borders. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2010. Print.
De Manuel, Dolores, and Rocío G. Davis. “Editor’s Introduction: Critical Perspectives on Asian American Children’s Literature.” The Lion and the Unicorn 30 (2006): v-xv. Print.
Lawrence, Katherine. Laurence Yep. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2003. Print.
Yep, Laurence Michael. City of Fire. New York, NY: Macmillan, 2009. Print.
—. Dragon of the Lost Sea. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1988. Print.
—. Dragonwings. New York, NY: Dramatists Play Service Inc., 1993. Print.
—. The Lost Garden. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1991. Print.