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Jenny Kalvik
Professor Jones
LIT 332
July 27, 2015

Compare and Contrast Yummy, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice and
American Born Chinese

Literature can complete many goals. It satisfies people differently and

individually depending on what they are seeking from it. In a classroom YAL can
open up discussions, introduce topics and offer insight into the lives and
perspectives of the students sitting in front of the teacher. The books American
Born Chinese, Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty and Claudette Colvin:
Twice Toward Justice achieve this in similar and different ways of style and theme.
The individuality of each book impacts the message it wants to portray while
understanding who the intended reader is. Writing for YA readers is complicated
because of the seriousness of the issues that affect YA readers and the need to keep
the content age appropiate. Each of these three books portrays very serious issues
or events but in a manner that is appropriate for a younger reader by the way it was
written.
American Born Chinese is a colorful comic book that starts off with three
individual stories that merge into one as the story progresses. The main characters
take different roles in the book but all suffer from being embarrassed of who they
are. Each scenario is centered on being Chinese and finding ways to eliminate that
aspect of their identity in order to fit into a society that doesnt value the Chinese

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traditions or culture. They all struggle with their identity and feel the pressure and
weight of trying to be someone they are not. In an effort to be a person they think
is more powerful, popular or valuable they make choices that negatively affect
themselves and the people around them. Once the three different characters
embrace who they are they find happiness, value and contentment.
Claudette Colvin is a teenage girl growing up in the heart of the Montgomery
Bus Boycott. That particular event in the fight for civil rights is extremely famous
and almost any person in America can name the dominant leaders of that
movement. This nonfictional narrative introduces us to Claudettes story of how she
was actually the first person to refuse to give up her seat on the bus but for various
reasons wasnt deemed an appropriate person to be seen at the forefront of the
movement. This story gives deeper meaning to the actions that were taken during
the early stages of the movement. It offers a realistic view into the life of a young
girl and how she impacted the beginnings of the famous movement and how her
story was left behind and forgotten about. Previously, our knowledge of these
events were sheltered from some important actions and events that took place
during that time. Claudettes story gives us new insight on how powerful young
people can be and how they can impact their surroundings in great ways. In this
story, justice is given to Claudette as well as the people of Montgomery.
Yummy is the nonfictional story of a very young boy from Chicago in the
1990s who had no choice but to belong to a gang. His actions as a gang member
were horrific and he caused a lot of harm to his neighborhood. His life
circumstances were just as horrific and what lead him to depend on the gang life to
survive. He didnt have a support system that could keep him from making the life
or death choices he had to make in order to fit in, belong and have the basic

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necessities of life. Narrated by a person who witnessed these events unfold on a
very personal level there is no way to escape the tragedy and horror of this story.
This story depicts the members of gangs in a new light by showing how they too
can be victims of the system. Yummy demonstrates the complexities of how a child
can be a criminal and victim at the same time.
Each of these three stories showcase teenagers experiences. American Born
Chinese has a theme centered on accepting your identity and how denying it causes
more trouble that just honoring who you are. As a Chinese boy it is hard to fight the
stereotypes that are associated to the Chinese culture and traditions. Leaving them
behind and taking on a new identity, one that fits better with the community they
live in or want to be a part of takes its toll. It forces them to make bad decisions
that dont align with their real priorities. The characters all experience shame for
who they are and fight to take a new identity that proves to be worse than the one
they were born with. Experiencing shame for your culture because of how society
devalues it is very normal for teenagers and the often try to find ways to change to
fit in. Often this means alienating important people in your life. Danny, the Monkey
King and Jin Wang go to great lengths to hide or rid themselves of their natural or
born identity no one thinks of me as Danny anymore, Im CHIN-KEES cousin. It
gets so bad by the end of the school year that I have to switch schools (Yang 127)
but in the end find a path of accepting their identity.
Claudettes story differed in that she didnt struggle to identify with being an
African American. She embraced who she was and never felt the need to be
anything different. In Claudettes story the theme is focused on justice. The justice
that was earned through the boycotts as well as revealing Claudettes story and
impact she personally had during the movement. She didnt fit the identity of the

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kind of person who they leaders of the boycott wanted as a spokesperson. As the
popularity of the movement continued to grow her distinguished role disappeared
and During the 1960s, Claudette kept up with the civil rights movement in the
news but stayed on the sidelines. Caution had become a habit; she told no one of
her activist past (Hoose 114). She had to protect herself and her family so walking
away from it without the recognition she deserved was better than receiving the
scrutiny that she would have received for not being ideal. The characters in
American Born Chinese alienated people in their lives to fit the status quo. In
Claudettes case, she was alienated because she didnt fit the role of a good
spokesperson. Her story includes the perspective of a teenager in what otherwise
seems like a very adult event in history. Claudettes experience allow teenagers to
see the historical movement in a new light and understand how they can greatly
impact something without getting the attention or recognition they might deserve.
Yummy is a story where survival fuels all of the actions taken by the
characters. The life circumstances of Yummy left him no choice but to become a
gang member because in a gang he was being provided necessities that no one else
could provide him. In order to stay loyal to that gang he had to do things that the
rest of society deemed horrible acts. He was a victim of his circumstances and a
criminal as the outcome of dealing and managing those circumstances I dont
know which is worse, the way Yummy lived or the way he died (Duburke 94).
Unlike Claudette, Yummy was forced to be an outlaw in order to survive where she
choose to stand up and fight the system. They are similar because they both got
branded criminals when they were really just victims of a system set in place to
oppress them and their communities. Yummy was too young to make the decisions
he made on his own where Claudette fully understood how her choices might affect

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her. Yummy defied to survive, Claudette defied for justice and the characters in
American Born Chinese defied to have an identity they though had more value.
Whether they made good or bad choices, the characters of all three books made
choices that lead to being alienated from their peers.
The style of each of these books helps create the experience for the reader.
All three books have elements of graphic novels and could be considered less
valuable academically because of their use of comics, animations and pictures. It is
these elements that actually enhance their value because YA lit can be used to
teach the skills of critically analyzing a piece of literature just as classics while at
the same time being more readable and perhaps more enjoyable to students
(Jones 5). Claudettes story inserts pictures and side stories that give the story life
and allow the students a view of what the movement actually looked like. Since it is
widely known and studied historical event, it could be redundant and plain without
the addition of real pictures that depict the time. Though this graphic style is
realistic it still makes the story come to life and adds elements that draw the reader
further into the experience.
Yummy is a nonfiction story and realistic or actual photos of the events might
make it too intolerable or offensive for most readers of any age. Similar to
Claudette Colvin, it is all in black and white but for different reasons. For Claudette
Colvin it is a sign of the times, where in Yummy it helps set the dark tone of the
story. Using the comics style, even though not in color invites readers in who may
have a harder time reading by eliminating difficult vocabulary or long, wordy
paragraphs. It also softens the otherwise very difficult story and makes it appeal to
a younger reader without being too scary or harsh. American Born Chinese is a full
on comic with fictional characters, colors and dramatic scenes and its very

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appealing to the young (and old) eye. What is not comical or lacking is the content
and message. It depicts realistic feelings and scenarios that young adults can relate
too in a playful manner. Even though it is a fictional story, the content of the
message and story are relatable to young adults who may be in a similar situation
as the characters.
These books differ in their styles but what makes them similar is that Young
adult literature is often recommended as a bridge to appreciating literary
techniques, but its role in developing the trust needed for a response-centered
approach to literature may be even more important (Nilsen 365). In order to
discuss serious events, situations or curriculum we have to find ways to make it
appeal to the readers. There is never going to be one style or theme that is more
impactful that the other, it is about finding the one that is most appropriate for the
topic you are discussing and the reader you intend on reading it. Getting the
student interested in a specific topic with YAL can make introducing the classics
as a way to compare easier for teachers.
Teacher have a goal and expectation to get students to read because once
they can read, the opportunities are endless. It is essential to incorporate different
styles and themes into books to get a message across to teenagers who often resist
what adults want them to learn or hear. Yummy, American Born Chinese and
Claudette Colvin are examples of ways to introduce the idea of survival, identity and
justice to young adults. Once they start to understand these concepts or themes in
a way they can relate too or understand it is much easier to get them interested in
investigating them on other levels or in other literature. Valuable literature can
come in many shapes, colors and sizes as long as it sparks the desire to read and

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keep reading. YAL is there to aid teachers in introduce serious topics, encourage
open dialogue and discussion as well as perpetuate life-long reading.

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Works Cited

DuBurke, Randy. Yummy;The Last Days Of A Southside Shorty. New York: Lee & Low
Books Inc., 2010.
Hoose, Phillip. Claudette Colvin; Twice Toward Justice. New York: Square Fish, 2009.
Jones, Patrick. Young Adult Literature in the English Classroom. Metropolitan State
University. 20 July
2015. Lecture Notes Week 11.
Nilsen, Alleen Pace., et al. Literature for Todays Young Adults. Pearson Education,
Inc.: Upper Saddle
River. 2013.
Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. New York: Square Fish, 2006.