A. BIBLIOGRAPHYYep, Laurence. 2006. THE EARTH DRAGON AWAKES. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books. ISBN 0060275243.
B. PLOT SUMMARY
The main plot of is about two families’ survival in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906; one is an American family and another is a Chinese family. Henry was born into a wealthy family and lived in an upper level community. He is only child in the Travis family; however, his parents are both too busy with their business and social lives to take care of him. Ah Sing is the houseboy of the Travis family and his son, Chin, is the best friend of Henry. Although Chin cannot speak English very well, Ah Sing insists that he lives in Chinatown, and Chin has to go to a Chinese school to maintain his Chinese culture. The earthquake happened during the night while everyone is sleeping. It destroys all the property of Chin’s family. They run away from Chinatown and stay with a fisherman in Oakland to make money for living. The fierce fire comes after the earthquake and forces Henry’s family to give up all their properties and run to safety. Finally, two family members meet after the earthquake nearly three days later and have a short happy reunion in the Bay area. After everything calms down, the Travis family decides to go home San Francisco and rebuild their house. Chin and his father have to stay with the fisherman to earn money. There is one strong belief that both Henry and Chin share; that is someday they will live together.
C. CITICAL ANALYSIS
The dragon is a symbol or cultural marker at the very beginning of every segment of the story. The characters have Chinese names, such as Ah Sing and Ah Quon; Yep does not clearly address cultural markers like facial features, skin tones, hair styles, and clothing and body types in the text. Signs and decorations on the buildings, and the pattern and tempo of people’s lives in Chinatown are other cultural markers that identify Chinese immigrants. Mahjong, a traditional game for leisure time in the Chinese culture, is also mentioned in the text. Like other Chinese immigrants, Ah Sing insists on living in Chinatown and sending Chin to Chinese school to keep his cultural awareness and Chinese identity.
The culture of the people in this story is Chinese and the protagonist is a second generation immigrant in America. Although Ah Shing persists in maintaining his Chinese culture through his son, there are no Chinese characters, verbal sounds or dialects in the text which allow the readers to catch the storyline. The main issue depicts two different cultural families overcoming an unpredictable tragedy involving their cultural values and an attitude. Chin and his father are not reluctant to leave their tenements after the earthquake and stay in an unknown new place. Comparatively, Henry’s families hesitate to leave their houses and insist on going back and rebuilding their home. The fluent writing flow and short versions of each segment in a journal format enhances the way to compare and create a whole picture of what happened during the earthquake from different points of time. Although the story is non-linear without the beginning, culmination or ending, the author consistently describes the story by time lines.
D.REVIEW EXCERPTS
Children's Literature: “I must start by stating that Laurence Yep is one of my favorite authors for children's books and this book has not changed my mind in any way. The characters in this story learn many lessons—how disasters bring out the best and worse in people, how heroes are made from ordinary people, and how people find strength from within that they never knew they had to start over and rebuild their lives. Yep is an excellent writer and writes this story about the different perspectives of two young friends. I highly recommend this book.”
School Library Journal: “Yep's research is exhaustive. He covers all the most significant repercussions of the event, its aftershocks, and days of devastating fires, and peppers the story with interesting true-to-life anecdotes. Its "natural disaster" subject is both timely and topical, and Yep weaves snippets of information on plate tectonics and more very neatly around his prose. A solid supplemental choice.”
Kirkus Reviews: “Simple sentence structure and the use of present tense throughout make this a very accessible introduction. With little character development, the focus is on what rather than the whom. Still, this is solid historical fiction full of details about the times and backed up with an afterword explaining the author's connection and suggesting sources for further reading. It is notable especially for the attention paid to the experience of San Francisco's Chinese immigrants, and a good choice for reluctant readers.”
F.CONNECTIONS
Other literature related to Chinese American
· Ruthanne Lum McCunn. Pie-Biter.
· Allen Say. El Chino.
· Andrea Chang. Goldfish and Chrysanthemums.
· Andrea Cheng. Shanghai Messenger.
· Belle Yang. Hannah Is My Name.
· Bernard Ashley. Cleversticks.
· Carol Stepanchuk. Exploring Chinatown: A Children’s Guide to Chinese Culture.
· Eleanor Coerr. Chang’s Pape r Pony.
· Ellen Levine. I Hate English.
· Gene Luen Yang. American Born Chinese.
· Ginnie Lo. Mahjong All Day Long.
· Grace Lin. Year of the Dog.
· Huy Voun Lee. In the Leaves.
· Kam Mak. My Chinatown: One Year in Poems.
· Karen Chinn. Sam & the Luck Money.
· Katrina Saltonstall Currier. Kai’s Journey to Gold Mountain.
· Laurence Yep. Dream Soul.
· Laurence Yep. The Lost Garden.
· Laurence Yep. Magic Paintbrush.
· Lenore Look. Ruby Lu, Brave and true.
· Lenore Look. Henry’s First Moon Birthday.
· Lenore Look. Uncle Peter’s Amazing Chinese Wedding.
· Lensey Namioka. An Ocean Apart, A World Away.
· Lensey Namioka. Ties That Bind, Ties That Break.
· Mary Anne Fraser. Ten Mile Day.
· Milly Lee. Landed.
· Paul Yee. Dead Man’s Gold and other Stories.
· Paul Yee. A Song for Ba.
· Susan M. Nunes. The Last Dragon.
· Tin. Brothers.
· Valerie Petrillo. A Kid’s Guide to Asian American History.
· Yin and Lee Patricia Gauch. Coolies.
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