The Year of the Dog

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lin, Grace. 2006. The Year of the Dog. New York: Hatchette Book Company. ISBN 9780316060004

PLOT SUMMARY

The Year of the Dog: a year of luck, friendship, and finding oneself. Grace Lin (or Pacy, as she is called at home) strives to accomplish all these things in this semi-autobiographical novel by Chinese-American author Grace Lin.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Before analyzing The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin, one must understand the background of the book. The characters in the family are based on author Grace Lin’s real family. They are Taiwanese-Americans (although sometimes referred to as Chinese-Americans). Lin uses her childlike illustrations to describe the appearance of the characters. She briefly mentions their skin color, hair color and style but leaves out mention facial features. (This does not take away from the authenticity of the book in any way.)

The reader learns about Grace’s culture as she details experiences to her school friend, Becky. When Melody, also Taiwanese-American, moves to town, Grace uses their developing friendship to describe traditions and customs. We learn about lucky red envelopes, red egg celebrations, and important holidays.

Wealth and luck are common themes throughout the book. Grace searches for both during the Year of the Dog. Her father and grandfather are both wealthy doctors, so the family lives in an affluent neighborhood in upstate New York—a perfectly reasonable setting (considering the reality of the location). The family wants for nothing. This is evident on a visit to a Chinatown grocery store when the family purchased so many goods that the car was overflowing.

The interactions of characters within and outside of the Taiwanese-American culture are interesting. Grace’s non-Taiwanese friends and classmates do not understand the customs and consider her “too Chinese” while girls at a Taiwanese-American summer camp consider her too Americanized—a banana, they called her.

Grace’s mother inserts stories about her childhood and her move to America as an adult. Included in these stories is the reason for assimilation into the American culture while honoring her heritage.

The Lin family shows a balance of holding to their Asian heritage while assimilating to their current environment. Readers are led to believe much of the assimilation comes from the children’s interactions with people from other cultures and books they have read. When celebrating Chinese holidays, Grace’s parents have no problem with preparing for festivities. As Grace accounts, American holiday traditions are not received as well. The Lins purchase a small Thanksgiving turkey—which is not even the main course—and prepare mashed sweet potato cakes.

Christmas is hilarious too! Rather than taking the life of a tree that has grown for so long, Mrs. Lin wants to just decorate her rubber tree plant. Oh, and presents! What fun is it knowing what you’re getting? Unless what you get fails to meet your imagined expectation. That’s how American holidays went in this family. Lin induces laughter with the cultural education the children provide to their parents.

Midway through the book, Grace has gloomy moments when she dislikes being Taiwanese-American. She does not see characters like her in movies, TV shows, and books. Rather than staying downtrodden for long, she finds a way to fix that—write a book about a Taiwanese-American girl. The book ends up winning a prize and inspiring Grace to become a writer. Author Grace Lin records in her author’s note that her motivation for writing this book was not having books such as this one when she was growing up. She saw her friends in the books she read but never herself.

In the family’s culture, a common greeting can be translated, “Have you eaten yet?” Grace notes that food is an important element in their culture. This is evident in Lin’s metaphors and sensory language. Often objects are compared to food or given the colors of food items. For example, the stuffed dog playing Toto is described as “chocolate-colored” (p. 83) and Chinese vegetables that look like “purple sausages” (p. 88).

Lin does not shy away from addressing common stereotypes. She alludes to a time in the past when women’s feet were bound—part of an inserted story from Mrs. Lin. The author also addresses the misrepresentation of Chinese people in the book called The Seven Chinese Brothers in the text and The Five Chinese Brothers in an illustration. Grace points out how the brothers look nothing like real Chinese people: Melody’s brothers do not have a ponytail and it’s impossible to swallow an ocean. I am glad that Lin addresses these stereotypes by challenging them (with the book) and placing a time stamp on when practices like feet binding occurred.

Grace Lin, the child, tells the story in first person which makes for interesting commentary. The matter of fact quality of writing makes certain situations funny when told from the perspective of a child. The familiar Chinese greeting is one example of how Grace’s realization becomes humor. Another example is how she, Melody and Melody’s brothers bust into the vitamins in lieu of candy. The description of Melody’s mom’s reaction is one only a child could have captured. Lin proves through Grace’s voice that she remembers her self as a child.

The non-linear structure tells of events in sequential order with flashbacks framed within. No major conflict is climaxed and resolved. Instead, several events are detailed as if they are a reflection of what happened. Readers may be unsatisfied with the less than dramatic way in which Grace “finds herself” and the abruptness of the book ending. Regardless, the book truly is an enjoyable education and statement of events throughout the year of luck, friendship, and finding oneself.

REVIEWS & AWARDS

Asian Pacific American Award for Literature, 2006-2007 Honorable Mention Text

National Parenting Publications Award, 2006 Gold Book Ages 9 & Up

Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2006

New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, 2006

NCTE Notable Children's Books in the English Language Arts, 2007

ALSC Notable Children's Books, 2007

Texas Bluebonnet Award, 2007-2008

“Lin does a remarkable job capturing the soul and the spirit of books like those of Hayward or Maud Hart Lovelace, reimagining them through the lens of her own story, and transforming their special qualities into something new for today's young readers.” –Booklist, Jan. 2006

“This comfortable first-person story will be a treat for Asian-American girls looking to see themselves in their reading, but also for any reader who enjoys stories of friendship and family life.” –Kirkus Reviews, Dec. 2005

CONNECTIONS

Comparing Holiday Traditions

Grace tells about typical holiday traditions and her family’s attempt at American holidays. In a trio, discuss how each of your families celebrates one holiday (of your choice). Complete your choice of graphic organizer with your information (either a triple Venn diagram or three-column chart). Post your diagram on the library blog, and each write a short comment detailing how you would help your partners get acclimated to your traditions if they were coming to our home to celebrate this holiday.

*If a student does not celebrate this particular holiday (or none at all), incorporate that into the graphic organizer. That student’s comment will still describe what would take place should the other two group members visit on that day/occasion.

Science Fair Project

Using Grace and Melody’s idea, design and conduct your own experiment comparing plant growth with 4 different liquids. In your design, include the following six steps of the scientific method: ask a question, form a hypothesis, conduct an experiment, collect data, analyze information, and report results. Record a 2-minute video reporting your results.

Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year)

Learn more about Chinese New Year celebrations. Make a plan for your own celebration. Include what foods you would prepare, decorations, activities, etc. Present your plan to the class by creating a poster with your ideas.