The Sunday Read: ‘The High-Risk Feat of Bringing ‘American Born Chinese’ to TV’
The Daily18 Jun 2023

The Sunday Read: ‘The High-Risk Feat of Bringing ‘American Born Chinese’ to TV’

Almost everyone who reads “American Born Chinese,” Gene Luen Yang’s groundbreaking graphic novel, is a little afraid of Chin-Kee.

The book is a classic of young-adult literature, threading together stories of Asian American boyhood with a revered Ming dynasty novel. Chin-Kee’s role in it is a small one, but he is the bomb at the book’s heart. He’s a kind of Urkel character, embarrassing comic relief that isn’t so funny for the people who have to live with him — a cruel marionette pieced together from ugly stereotypes. He makes the old schoolyard “me Chinese” rhymes and begins sentences with “Confucius say …” He sings “She Bangs,” in a library, in the style of the “American Idol” contestant William Hung. At one point, he eats a packed lunch with a cat peeking out of the container. A laugh track runs in a ribbon under each scene, a brutal little receipt: “HA HA HA HA HA.”

So when news arrived, in 2021, that “American Born Chinese” would be adapted as a live-action Disney+ streaming series, the first reaction from some readers was, more or less, “Oh, no.”

This story was recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episoder(2843)

Why U.S.-Iran Negotiations Failed

Why U.S.-Iran Negotiations Failed

After negotiations over the weekend between the United States and Iran ended without a breakthrough, the temporary cease-fire appears to be increasingly precarious. The New York Times journalists Rone...

13 Apr 31min

One Reporter’s Life-Altering Psychedelic Trip

One Reporter’s Life-Altering Psychedelic Trip

The first time Robert Draper heard about the psychedelic drug ibogaine, it was from an unlikely source: the retired U.S. senator Kyrsten Sinema. As a political reporter for The New York Times, Draper ...

12 Apr 41min

'The Interview': Lena Dunham Is Still Trying to Figure Out Why People Hated Her So Much

'The Interview': Lena Dunham Is Still Trying to Figure Out Why People Hated Her So Much

The writer, actor and lightning rod is not done sharing yet. Thoughts? Email us at theinterview@nytimes.com Watch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcast For transcripts and more, vi...

11 Apr 1h 3min

The Miracle Unfolding in Mississippi Schools

The Miracle Unfolding in Mississippi Schools

Mississippi has seen a stunning turnaround in national test scores in the past decade, even as they have fallen almost everywhere else. Sarah Mervosh, an education reporter, explains what the state ca...

10 Apr 31min

Unmasking the Creator of Bitcoin

Unmasking the Creator of Bitcoin

Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? Bitcoin’s pseudonymous founder has hidden his identity for 17 years despite many attempts to unmask him, even as his cryptocurrency has revolutionized finance and made him a b...

9 Apr 53min

A Cease-Fire in Iran

A Cease-Fire in Iran

Warning: This episode contains strong language. The United States and Iran announced a two-week cease-fire last night, shortly before President Trump’s deadline for Iran to unblock the Strait of Hormu...

8 Apr 26min

A Daring Rescue Behind Enemy Lines

A Daring Rescue Behind Enemy Lines

Over the weekend, the U.S. military pulled off a risky mission to save an injured airman whose fighter jet had been shot down in Iran. Eric Schmitt, who covers national security for The New York Times...

7 Apr 21min

Trump’s Lonely War

Trump’s Lonely War

As the war in Iran drags on, President Trump keeps signaling that it is about to end. But the fighting shows no signs of letting up. All the while, America’s closest allies in Europe continue to refus...

6 Apr 31min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
forklart
stopp-verden
popradet
nokon-ma-ga
rss-gukild-johaug
fotballpodden-2
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
det-store-bildet
dine-penger-pengeradet
aftenbla-bla
hanna-de-heldige
rss-ness
rss-espen-lee-usensurert
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-utenrikskomiteen-med-bogen-og-grasvik
e24-podden
frokostshowet-pa-p5