Miéville – King Rat

Miéville, China. King Rat. New York; Tor, 1999. 318 pp.

I have a “tell” for books that I’m really enjoying; I milk them out. I read them slowly with the intention of prolonging the story. Not wanting it to end. King Rat was one of these. I had to cradle each page in my mind & savor it; making it last as long as possible.

King Rat is China Miéville’s first novel; a gritty, modern epilogue to the Pied Piper of Hamlin tale. It tells the story of Saul, a seemingly-ordinary guy who turns out be related to King Rat – the anthropomorphic animal lord of all rats. As Saul learns what it means to be rat, the Pied Piper is methodically hunting him down. It seems as if King Rat & his animal lord friends – Anasazi the spider & Loplop, the Bird Supreme are all that can save Saul & his human friends.

This is Miéville number 2 for me (see The City & the City). I’m still waiting on Perdido Street Station, but King Rat was excellent. For me, a good fantasy/ SF novel is one that really gets my imagination going – one that starts me thinking up new ideas & concepts, or one that adds a magical over-lay to the way I see the world around me. King Rat had both of those powers: it got me thinking & it noticing thing I wouldn’t normally. I found myself looking for signs of rodents; smelling the world around me & especially looking out for the smell of piss (the Smell of Piss is almost a character in King Rat unto itself). I considered dumpsters that I would normally overlook & thought about the rotting food inside & how much different it must all look to a rat. Good stuff.

The real stand-out for me about King Rat was the way Miéville really thought through what it would mean to be rat. A rat with the size & intelligence of a grown man, but who eats trash & lives in the sewers. It’s gross, urban & gritty. This isn’t your animal-superpowers kind of thing (although Saul’s rat-powers do lend him super-human abilities & he jokes to himself about being “Ratman”); it’s much more raw than that. It’s a what-it-means-to-be-animal sort of thing. It’s easy to see how Miéville made his mark on the weird fiction scene with this first novel; it’s got the strange creativity of a Philip K. Dick combined with the dark postmodern grit of a Palahniuk.

The only critiques I have of King Rat are, I think, mere reflections of it being a first novel. From what little I know of Miéville, he seems like a man with an agenda. In King Rat, he seems to be trying to explore too many things at once. The socialist message, starting with Dad the Commie, is fine, but ends a little too heavy-handedly &, perhaps, too obviously with the rat socialist utopia in the epilogue. Saul’s self-deprecation at this point helps blunt this message, but not enough. There’s also this thing about music – specifically Drum n’ Bass (aka Jungle) dance music – that comes off as a little awkward. You can see where he’s going with it, but the ride there feels uncomfortable & contrived. The multitude of ideas that he seems to want to convey comes across as a little chaotic & discordant. By contrast, The City & the City feels tight & polished.

Not only is this a great novel for adults & sci-fi fans, I think it’s a great addition to the Adult books that are good for Teens category. I think it would have a lot of teen appeal, especially for older teen guys. It would be a great booktalk book. It does has a lot of F-Bombs, so parents beware, but overall the content doesn’t feel too adult. I’m giving it a Put it on Hold NOW! rating.

Yang – American Born Chinese

Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. New York; First Second, 2006.

American Born Chinese is a graphic novel which won the 2007 Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in Young Adult literature. The graphic novels weaves together 3 separate tales – all of which come together in the end. The first story is that of the legendary Monkey King; the god of the monkeys who’s obsessed with getting the respect of the other gods. The second story is of Jin Wang, a young Chinese-American boy trying to fit in at school. The third story is of Danny, a seemingly average American teen who is haunted by his over-the-top Chinese stereotype cousin Chin-Kee.

Though I’ve read a lot of graphic novels, I had never gotten around to this one – so I had to choose it as my Printz book! I had expected big things from it, but I was still pleasantly surprised at just how good the story was. I should have seen it coming, but the way the three stories came together still took my by surprise. Yang’s illustrations are great; with a solid, clear & whimsical look to them. Their childish, amusing design helped kept the reader rooted in Jin’s young perception of things – implying that he still saw the world in much the same way as a teen as when he had been in 3^rd grade. They also help ease the transition of the Monkey King into the ‘real world;’ the already cartoony nature of the frames let him fit right in without seeming out of place. I’m not quite sure that I ‘get’ the integration of the Birth of Christ with the Monkey King’s story, though. Perhaps it’s intended as a parallel of Jin’s journey & integration into Western Culture? I don’t know, but I still loved the book.

Ned Vizzini wrote a thoughtful & interesting review of American Born Chinese for the New York Times last October.[1] He point out that “Asians are widely perceived to have it easier than other minorities in the United States,” but that Yang does an admirable job of breaking down those perceptions with his honest depiction of Jin Wang’s childhood. Vizzini points out the many references to negative Asian stereotypes in American pop culture, such as Chin-Kee’s William Hung impression while singing “She Bangs.” On the other hand, a Library Journal review concludes a brief description of the work with, “some potty humor; recommended for teen and adult collections.”[2]

American Born Chinese is obviously a must-have for any public or school library. It should have a place of honor in any graphic novel collection, display, or program. In addition, it serves as powerful material in any discussion of stereotypes & race issues, or on contemporary Asian-American culture. It would also make a great addition to a Chinese New Year (today!) book display for teens or adults.

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[1] Vizzini, Ned. “American Born Chinese.” New York Times Full Text Review. 27 October 2009. as found in Bowker’s Books in Print through the University of North Texas’ electronic Library. http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2612/merge_shared/details/RecordDetails.asp?item_uid=72028277&viewItemIndex=0&navPage=1&FullText=&BipAlertQueryString=&BipAlertDisplayQText= (accessed 14 February 2010).

[2] “American Born Chinese.” Library Journal. 15 March, 2007. as found in Bowker’s Books in Print through the University of North Texas’ electronic Library. http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2612/merge_shared/details/RecordDetails.asp?item_uid=72028277&viewItemIndex=0&navPage=1&FullText=&BipAlertQueryString=&BipAlertDisplayQText= (accessed 14 February 2010).

Wisniewski – Golem

Wisniewski, David. Golem. New York; Clarion, 1996.

Golem, the 1996 Caldecott Medal winner for excellence in illustration, tells the legendary story of Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel of Prague. In 1580, the Christians of Prague escalated their persecution of the city’s Jews under the pretext of the “Blood Lie” – accusing Jews of using the blood of Christian children in their matzoh. To protect his people, God instructs Loew to create the Golem – a man made of clay. The Golem, named Joseph learns to love the life it has been given. In time, the Christians of Prague storm the Ghetto, but Joseph protects the Jews & sends the attackers fleeing. Terrified of the might of the Golem, the Emperor grants Loew & his people immunity. In return, Loew agrees to destroy Joseph – despite the Golem’s pleas to remain alive. The Jews of Prague grant Joseph a proper funeral, even though it was just a statue made of clay.

I really liked this book – though a picture book, it was written for older audiences. Wisniewski’s cut-paper illustrations are amazing & the story had a very authentic feel to it. The reader feels a lot of sympathy for the Golem, but Rabbi Loew ends its existence anyway. It’s a raw, sad story & the color & tone of Wisniewski’s illustrations really highlight this. It is, I think, a particularly Jewish story in that it picks up that sad, serious thread that is a hallmark of the stories of Israel; there is sadness even in victory.

There are numerous reviews of this excellent work. Susan Scheps compares it to Beverly McDermott’s 1975 version of the same story, but is quick to point out the differences. In Wisniewski’s version, the Golem can speak – in McDermott’s the Golem is mute. Also, Wisniewski creates the Golem as a sympathetic character, whereas, “Traditionally, the golem goes berserk and must be returned to the earth.”[1] A Publisher’s Weekly review describes Wisniewski’s illustrations as creating a, “3D, puppet-show-like quality.”[2]

Golem would be a suitable read for an older group of grade-schoolers interested in Judaica, or for a Hebrew-School class visit. Alternately, I would suggest using it for students of any age interested in aspects of Medieval or Early-Modern Social Tolerance. The legend of Rabbi Loew & the Golem is a traditional Jewish story illustrating the persecution of European Jews & represents a particular form of collective revenge-fantasy that such social intolerance generates.

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[1] Scheps, Susan. School Library Journal Reviews, Oct. 1996. as found in Baker & Taylor Title Source 3. http://ts3f.informata.com/TS3/record.jsp?rn=3&ps=3&fr=0&anc=3&bs=1&fb=0&n=E%3A\webapp\ts3\main\users\ls000470.rec&AF=318885&FirstRec=Y (accessed 7 Feb. 2010).

[2] Publisher’s Weekly Reviews 1996, October #3. as found in Baker & Taylor Title Source 3. http://ts3f.informata.com/TS3/record.jsp?rn=3&ps=3&fr=0&anc=3&bs=1&fb=0&n=E%3A\webapp\ts3\main\users\ls000470.rec&AF=318885&FirstRec=Y (accessed 7 Feb. 2010).