Donald Duk

by Frank Chin

Book Overview

"The 11-year-old hero of Mr. Chin's inventive, energetic first novel is educated in his Chinese heritage through a series of astonishing dreams about working on the Central Pacific Railroad in 1869."--New York Times Book Review "Doubt not the ability of the gifted, passionate, funny Mr. Chin."--New Yorker

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0918273838
• ISBN13: 9780918273833
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Coffee House Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

Definite Eye-Opener

First of all, I am surprised that not many people have read or even heard of this book. Why is it that America eats up all the stereotypical, sell-out Asian-American literature and denies something as real and tangible as Frank Chin's "Donald Duk"? Instead we are force-fed Amy Tan. And don't get me wrong, I enjoy reading Amy Tan, she is a very engaging writer, however, the average reader does not know where to draw the line between fiction and fact. They assume that because Amy Tan is Asian, every word that spills across the pages of her works is the solid truth. It is important for people to understand this distinction before reading any literature, lest they mistake fiction writing for truth and buy into the stereotypes presented by the author. Unfortunately, most people cannot make this distinction and their knowledge of Asian/Asian-American culture is limited to what they read in "The Joy Luck Club" and other such works. Whew! That was quite a rant :) Back to the review: Frank Chin is NOT Amy Tan. On the surface, "Donald Duk" presents itself as a light-hearted, comedic read. In fact, the entire premise of this novel seems silly, as do the characters. However, beneath the surface lie some serious questions about culture, identity, and racism. With its rich portrayal of history and culture, "Donald Duk" challenges the abundant stereotypes and misrepresented histories often present in American culture. Paired with Chin's vibrant and crisp writing style (It took me a few pages before I warmed-up to his style, but once I did I was hooked), the end result is a novel that manages to be eye-opening without being preachy. A feat that is seldom accomplished. I don't say this often, but I love this book. "Donald Duk" is an entertaining, albeit important, novel that should be introduced to more readers.

This Book Is A Great Introduction of The Author Frank Chin

A strong and complex male lead, great dialogue, and the heroic tradition - all make this novel vintage Frank Chin. Meet Donald Duk who believes Chinese can never be Americans because they're too "passive" and "non-competitive." Meet his father, King Duk, who wishes "Pearl Buck was alive and walk into my restaurant so I can cut out her heart and liver." Meet Kwan the Coolie worker who will not bow down to the White racist's ways. And meet Kwan Kung, the best representation of what it means to be Chinese. You want a great intoduction of why Chinese do the things they do? Read this book. Want to know what Chinese New Year is like? Read this book. Want a book that is REALLY Chinese and not a fake one? Read this book. Want a book that tells the REAL story about the Coolie workers? Read this book. Want to know how it's like being in a Chinese Opera? Read this book. I'm proud of being Chinese after reading DONALD DUK.

Excellent book

Donald Duk is an excellent book for ALL readers, not just Asians. I'm an African American woman and I found the book insightful and eye-opening. The book made me realize that as a minority you forget that you're not the only one who has to deal with daily prejudices and embarassment because you wish you could for one day be the majority. I recommend this book for everyone, not just for minorities but for the majority as well. I read this book as part of an English class in college.

the best book

As a chinese teen this book is almost a perfect description of my life. Frank Chin is obviously a true chinese because he knows the history, the lore, the traditions, and the stories. It is refreshing to have an asian american writer who doesn't turn on their culture to make a quick buck.

Buy this book! It is an AWESOME book for As/Am youth!

I LOVED this book when I first read it. I am Korean-American and very much into race politics but that's not the reason I loved this book. First of all, it is simply an entertaining, well done book. It deals with racism in a head-on more REALISTIC way that many Asian-Americans and other minorities could probably identify with. It simply portrays a Chinese-American boy in Chinatown and how he deals with being Chinese-American. Though I don't really agree with Frank Chin's philosophies I do appreciate this book. It's not perfect, but its REAL and it's good to hear a clear voice of an Asian-American speaking about being Asian-American without much pretense or political correctness. Let's face it, there are not a lot of books aimed at Asian-American youth or about Asian-American youth (especially not *written* by other Asian-Americans). The ones that are out there (and believe me, I've read most of them) are not that well done. In fact, a lot of them stink. I think a lot of crap gets printed just because the author is 'Asian-American' or deals with the 'Asian-American experience' and there aren't a lot of books filling that void. However, 'Donald Duk' is not an example of this. For a teenage Asian-American, this book is refreshing and maybe even revolutionary. I thoroughly recommend this book to any Asian-American of any age. C'mon, it's practically considered a 'modern classic' of Asian-American literature. It's an enjoyable read and you'll be glad you did. Even if you hate it.