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katyk321's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
unladylike's review against another edition
4.0
I'll admit, despite having spent multiple years being the only non-Chinese person in my household, from age 20-22, and specifically being in the unfortunate role of initially trying to befriend grad students in the international community at my university as a means of evangelizing to them with Christian house churches, I never really learned anything about the Boxer Rebellion. I would say, like many significant movements or atrocities in history, it was something I just knew had happened at some point, but couldn't tell you anything about it.
This is basically a magical realism story of a growing group of peasants who are barely trained in warfare but learn an easy magical ritual that invokes ancient Chinese deities and historical figures, allowing them to fight and kill many "foreign devils" comprised of Christian missionaries, converted Chinese Christians, and the various colonizing military powers taking control of significant portions of the country.
It's a well-told story, with both pleasing and troubling elements. I was particularly bothered by the particular brand of misogyny that's culturally enforced with spiritual philosophies, and the constant threat of sexual violence and condescension the women in the story endure.
Where I'm at with efforts of decolonizing, a big part of me, even as a white person, is like, "Yeah! Kill all the white devils coming in before it's too late!"
Two things briefly alluded to but never explained in this book that I want to follow up on and learn about: "dragon lines," which are apparently the same thing as what we call "ley lines" in the West, and which are said to be taken over in the story by Christians (deliberately?) building churches over their sacred and powerful paths. This would make sense, in light of some of the insidious tactics employed by aggressively proselytizing Christians. Second, the name Red Lantern, either singular or plural, comes up. I vaguely recall my Chinese friends in college trying to explain to me that in China, the film Raise the Red Lantern, by famed director Zhang Yimou, is much more critically praised (and controversial) than the western blockbusters that were coming out at the time - Hero and House of Flying Daggers. I picked up that the "red lantern" was loaded with a lot of cultural significance that didn't mean anything to me in my own awareness or cultural context.
I realize this is not much of a review, but those are the thoughts I've got. I'd recommend this book to anyone who can dig in to a legit graphic novel of historical fiction, and I'm curious what the counterpart, Saints, will hold.
This is basically a magical realism story of a growing group of peasants who are barely trained in warfare but learn an easy magical ritual that invokes ancient Chinese deities and historical figures, allowing them to fight and kill many "foreign devils" comprised of Christian missionaries, converted Chinese Christians, and the various colonizing military powers taking control of significant portions of the country.
It's a well-told story, with both pleasing and troubling elements. I was particularly bothered by the particular brand of misogyny that's culturally enforced with spiritual philosophies, and the constant threat of sexual violence and condescension the women in the story endure.
Where I'm at with efforts of decolonizing, a big part of me, even as a white person, is like, "Yeah! Kill all the white devils coming in before it's too late!"
Two things briefly alluded to but never explained in this book that I want to follow up on and learn about: "dragon lines," which are apparently the same thing as what we call "ley lines" in the West, and which are said to be taken over in the story by Christians (deliberately?) building churches over their sacred and powerful paths. This would make sense, in light of some of the insidious tactics employed by aggressively proselytizing Christians. Second, the name Red Lantern, either singular or plural, comes up. I vaguely recall my Chinese friends in college trying to explain to me that in China, the film Raise the Red Lantern, by famed director Zhang Yimou, is much more critically praised (and controversial) than the western blockbusters that were coming out at the time - Hero and House of Flying Daggers. I picked up that the "red lantern" was loaded with a lot of cultural significance that didn't mean anything to me in my own awareness or cultural context.
I realize this is not much of a review, but those are the thoughts I've got. I'd recommend this book to anyone who can dig in to a legit graphic novel of historical fiction, and I'm curious what the counterpart, Saints, will hold.
sarabz's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful book, amazing graphic storytelling (the same goes for the companion Volume, Saints).
wrentheblurry's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a fan of Yang's, and I've been looking forward to this title and the companion book, [b:Saints|43798|The Feast of All Saints|Anne Rice|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348444787s/43798.jpg|2926011]. At the same time, I had no prior knowledge of the Boxer Rebellion. Boxers is intense, deep, moving, and it motivated me to read more about the rebellion. In the back matter, Yang provides a list of titles for further reading.
Boxers follows Little Bao's journey with the rebels, first with the Big Sword Society. We see why Bao joins the movement, and we watch his rise in the ranks. Some humor and a bit of romance is sprinkled in, but mostly this is a harsh story with lots of murdering of people simply because they were foreigners or Chinese Christians.
The artwork, as ever, is perfect. Once in a while I found the layout of the panels confusing, and I needed to backtrack to determine what was happening. When this occurred, it felt like small bits of the story had been skipped, and that's one of the reasons I didn't give a higher rating.
If you have interest in reading this, I suggest you also read [b:Saints|43798|The Feast of All Saints|Anne Rice|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348444787s/43798.jpg|2926011]. The two work well together, though I believe reading Boxers first will provide more background and information, and give you some solid call-back moments during your reading of Saints.
Edit--My 12 year-old son also read both Boxers and Saints, after a warning from me about how violent they are. He's sensitive to that, yet a huge graphic novel fan, so he finished them. He says he would give them both 3.5 stars because they "are just too violent for my tastes, even though the violence is based on history." These aren't books for kids, though my sensitive boy did fine. Use your own best judgment.
Boxers follows Little Bao's journey with the rebels, first with the Big Sword Society. We see why Bao joins the movement, and we watch his rise in the ranks. Some humor and a bit of romance is sprinkled in, but mostly this is a harsh story with lots of murdering of people simply because they were foreigners or Chinese Christians.
The artwork, as ever, is perfect. Once in a while I found the layout of the panels confusing, and I needed to backtrack to determine what was happening. When this occurred, it felt like small bits of the story had been skipped, and that's one of the reasons I didn't give a higher rating.
If you have interest in reading this, I suggest you also read [b:Saints|43798|The Feast of All Saints|Anne Rice|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348444787s/43798.jpg|2926011]. The two work well together, though I believe reading Boxers first will provide more background and information, and give you some solid call-back moments during your reading of Saints.
Edit--My 12 year-old son also read both Boxers and Saints, after a warning from me about how violent they are. He's sensitive to that, yet a huge graphic novel fan, so he finished them. He says he would give them both 3.5 stars because they "are just too violent for my tastes, even though the violence is based on history." These aren't books for kids, though my sensitive boy did fine. Use your own best judgment.
_ash0_'s review against another edition
2.0
Premise was interesting and considering it is a historical fiction, I expected the characters and story to seem more realistic. I just don’t like anything from this author. I found American Chinese also pretty meh. The focus is more on the magical realism and less on the characterization and plot. I never got attached to any character so did not feel anything when someone died in the book. The artwork was good.
This book is about the boxer rebellion in China where the Chinese fought westerners/Christians who were converting Chinese into their religion. There is a war between foreigners and this boxers rebellion group along with help from imperial army.
The ending did not make much sense.
What would have worked is writing this as a nonfiction perhaps as I knew nothing about this rebellion. Instead of reading a silly fiction, reading about the real rebellion would have been more interesting.
This book is about the boxer rebellion in China where the Chinese fought westerners/Christians who were converting Chinese into their religion. There is a war between foreigners and this boxers rebellion group along with help from imperial army.
The ending did not make much sense.
What would have worked is writing this as a nonfiction perhaps as I knew nothing about this rebellion. Instead of reading a silly fiction, reading about the real rebellion would have been more interesting.
theduchess93's review against another edition
5.0
After I read this, I immediately spent a few hours reading about the Boxer Rebellion, which is how I know it's a fantastic book.
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
What an incredible graphic novel! I don't really know much about history, so this was a welcome lesson--and what an intriguing one it was. Yang's illustrations and characters all lend themselves to a convincing and engaging story. Every aspect was rich and vibrant, and I loved the cultural aspects of Chinese opera, farming vs city, and gender.
For those not in the know, like me prior to reading this, Boxers details the struggle that many Chinese folks had towards the Christian missionaries/colonizers. Their ways of living and entertainment were affected, and their ways of being certainly weren't being respected.
Little Bao's story of being the under dog and coming out on top as a successful grassroots leader is hopeful, inspiring. One can easily empathize with him and his call to arms, and understand the tragedies which happen to him and around him.
Overall, this was such an intense, wonderful, fast read that educated while it entertained.
Review cross-listed here!
For those not in the know, like me prior to reading this, Boxers details the struggle that many Chinese folks had towards the Christian missionaries/colonizers. Their ways of living and entertainment were affected, and their ways of being certainly weren't being respected.
Little Bao's story of being the under dog and coming out on top as a successful grassroots leader is hopeful, inspiring. One can easily empathize with him and his call to arms, and understand the tragedies which happen to him and around him.
Overall, this was such an intense, wonderful, fast read that educated while it entertained.
Review cross-listed here!
lannthacker's review against another edition
4.0
FINALIST - A beautifully strange and sad imagining of the Boxer Rebellion. I loved the artful facial expressions and use of color.
smallafterall's review against another edition
3.0
Not sure how I feel about this one. Made me want to read the good earth again, and I will definitely be reading the companion book Santa, as I'm sure it will broaden my understanding of this one. I felt as if I wasn't sure where the author stood. Or perhaps my own assumptions and biases were just being challenged.
lee214's review against another edition
5.0
an incredible read. the art style is and use of color is beautiful. the story is tragic and gripping. the violence is graphically depicted, making the reader really feel the horror and tragedy at play. Gives me interest into a historical event I had not previously heard of. I would recommend this book at both young adult audiences and older audiences.