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sarahanne8382's review against another edition
4.0
This and the companion novel, Boxers tell the story of two teenagers on opposite sides of the Boxer Rebellion. What little I knew about this historical event was blown away and shattered by these engaging graphic novels. It just goes to show how much cultural misunderstanding is at the heart of most wars.
unladylike's review against another edition
4.0
Together, Boxers & Saints really is something special. The first part of these two intersecting stories from different perspectives invoked ancient Chinese deities and figures to aid the Boxer Rebellion against the aggressively proselytizing Christian colonizers. The magical realism elements of the second half come through an old raccoon and visions of Joan of Arc coming to a pubescent girl who has been ostracized and abused from a young age in her family and village.
It's hilariously ironic and also profoundly sad to watch her evolve her own reasons for leaving her people and historical religious beliefs in favor of the Christian missionaries. At the young age of 8, "Four-Girl" (whose given name already references her status as being bad luck, based on the failed three births that preceded her in her family, and the Chinese superstitions around the number four) is told by her grandfather, in front of her whole family, that she is a Devil. Being left little choice to change everyone around her's negative perception of her, she embraces being a devil. After experimenting with making devilish faces in public, she is brought to an acupuncturist who has a small wall-hanging of Jesus being crucified. Four-Girl has a revelation that Jesus is the ultimate acupuncture victim, and that if white people (Christian missionaries) that are appearing more are known as "foreign devils," then she ought to learn their ways in order to be the best devil she can be.
I'll stop there with the setup, but this book continued to look at the theme (brought up repeatedly in Boxers) of men's fear of being corrupted by the Yin of women. Whether it's the Christian religion and less-manly white people, or the all-female warriors known as the Red Lanterns, the feminine is to be feared, villified, and conquered, in the minds of many of the male characters throughout. And so it is particularly effective that the young protagonist starts having interactive visions of Joan of Arc (without previously knowing of her).
Based on first reading Boxers, I already somewhat knew the ending to these sad but insightful stories. Gene Luen Yang does a marvelous job of showing a diverse range of personalities, motives, righteousness and foolish, ego-driven abuse. It is neither a promotion of, nor a scathing polemic against, Christianity. It is an epic and novel folk tale of the vastly different interpretations of these historical events, and what they meant to different individuals representing archetypes in rural China at the start of the 20th century.
It's hilariously ironic and also profoundly sad to watch her evolve her own reasons for leaving her people and historical religious beliefs in favor of the Christian missionaries. At the young age of 8, "Four-Girl" (whose given name already references her status as being bad luck, based on the failed three births that preceded her in her family, and the Chinese superstitions around the number four) is told by her grandfather, in front of her whole family, that she is a Devil. Being left little choice to change everyone around her's negative perception of her, she embraces being a devil. After experimenting with making devilish faces in public, she is brought to an acupuncturist who has a small wall-hanging of Jesus being crucified. Four-Girl has a revelation that Jesus is the ultimate acupuncture victim, and that if white people (Christian missionaries) that are appearing more are known as "foreign devils," then she ought to learn their ways in order to be the best devil she can be.
I'll stop there with the setup, but this book continued to look at the theme (brought up repeatedly in Boxers) of men's fear of being corrupted by the Yin of women. Whether it's the Christian religion and less-manly white people, or the all-female warriors known as the Red Lanterns, the feminine is to be feared, villified, and conquered, in the minds of many of the male characters throughout. And so it is particularly effective that the young protagonist starts having interactive visions of Joan of Arc (without previously knowing of her).
Based on first reading Boxers, I already somewhat knew the ending to these sad but insightful stories. Gene Luen Yang does a marvelous job of showing a diverse range of personalities, motives, righteousness and foolish, ego-driven abuse. It is neither a promotion of, nor a scathing polemic against, Christianity. It is an epic and novel folk tale of the vastly different interpretations of these historical events, and what they meant to different individuals representing archetypes in rural China at the start of the 20th century.
sarabz's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful book, amazing graphic storytelling (the same is true of the companion Volume, Boxers).
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:Boxers|17210470|Boxers (Boxers & Saints)|Gene Luen Yang|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1359199413s/17210470.jpg|23691809]. At the same time, I had no prior knowledge of the Boxer Rebellion. Saints 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.
Saints depicts parts of the Boxer Rebellion through the eyes of Four-Girl, from age 8 until she turns 15. We learn about her family life, and watch the story unfold as she becomes one of the enemies of the Boxers, a Chinese Christian.
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:Boxers|17210470|Boxers (Boxers & Saints)|Gene Luen Yang|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1359199413s/17210470.jpg|23691809]. The two are meant to go 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.
Saints depicts parts of the Boxer Rebellion through the eyes of Four-Girl, from age 8 until she turns 15. We learn about her family life, and watch the story unfold as she becomes one of the enemies of the Boxers, a Chinese Christian.
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:Boxers|17210470|Boxers (Boxers & Saints)|Gene Luen Yang|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1359199413s/17210470.jpg|23691809]. The two are meant to go 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
1.0
This book was boring and it was about a Chinese girl getting converted into a Christian. Jesus and Joan keep making appearances the way Chinese gods made their appearance in Boxers. Too much of religious mumbo jumbo , not an interesting storyline or characters. Basically there was no point to this story. Meaningless book.
jlmn's review against another edition
dark
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I liked the book for what it was. A narrative of the Christian side of the boxer war. There was a lot of nuance in explaining why Chinese people would be attracted to practicing Christianity.
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
What an incredible graphic novel. If you've read Boxers but not yet this, get on it! It's imperative that both are read to fully encompass the total story. Vibiana and Little Bao briefly meet when they're younger, but their stories don't entertwined until much later. How is it that some Chinese folks like Vibiana so willingly go with the missionaries? And how is it that some Chinese folks are so willing to kill those that disagree with 'the old ways'?
Can peace be found? Are there pros and cons to each side of the story? Can anything be black and white? This book answers questions that Boxers can't. And it answers them so incredibly well. This is a hugely important part of Chinese history, and it's imperative that we learn about it now, lest we forget.
This is a complex, nuanced story, and Saints, thorugh Vibiana, shows just how difficult some decisions and some histories are. Absolutely stunning.
Review cross-listed here!
Can peace be found? Are there pros and cons to each side of the story? Can anything be black and white? This book answers questions that Boxers can't. And it answers them so incredibly well. This is a hugely important part of Chinese history, and it's imperative that we learn about it now, lest we forget.
This is a complex, nuanced story, and Saints, thorugh Vibiana, shows just how difficult some decisions and some histories are. Absolutely stunning.
Review cross-listed here!
lannthacker's review against another edition
4.0
FINALIST. A wonderful companion and conclusion to this pair of graphic novels.