Dragonwings by Laurence Yep

Accompanying the review of the Newberry Medal-winning book, we would also review a book that graced with the Newberry Honor in 1976, Dragonwings by Laurence Yep. It’s a story of a boy named Moon Shadow who, at eight years old, sailed from the Middle Kingdom (China) to the Land of Golden Mountain (United States) to meet the father he'd never seen but heard about from his mother. Settled in San Fransisco, Moon Shadow befriended with fellow Tang people (Chinese men) called The Company whom his father worked for, and got to know there were friendly Chinamen as well as wicked Chinamen among them. Later he and his father moved out of Chinatown, and lived with very nice demonesses (white people), Miss Whitlaw and her niece Robin, who welcomed them to their town. His father, Windrider, was very interested in flying after reading an article about the famous Wright brothers to the extent he built small-scale glider models. Though airplane was a modern invention, part of his motivation was the traditional belief in his own previous dragon existence. This belief of dragon reincarnation in his former life had greatly influenced Moon Shadow ever since he told him. As the time went by, Robin and Moon Shadow became companions, and Miss Whitlaw learned the truth about dragons that she believed to be terrible before while teaching Moon Shadow how to read and write. With the help of his new acquaintances friends, Moon Shadow learned that despite the stereotype and prejudice he believed towards the demons (the Americans), most were actually friendly and not willing to beat him up every chance they got. In the end, a seemingly impossible dream was accomplished, and feuding friends overcame their differences for the chance to see "Dragonwings" flied. Overall, this is a fine and touching historical fantasy fiction. The author was objective in plotting the story and setting the conflicts among the characters. Even though the Chinese were constantly set upon by the white majority, yet there were good Chinese and bad Chinese just as there were good Whites and bad Whites. And although the novel was originally published in 1975, the existing problems of racial prejudice, hate, drug abuse, violence, self-worth, trust, and friendship that are vital to students growing up everywhere today, were all addressed very well in this book. Just to note, despite of the fact that this book has won one of the most prestigious awards in children's literature, some might think there is too much profanity in this book for children, such as the mention of prostitution, opium addiction, murder, physical abuse, or maybe Nick Carter detective novels.

reviewed by Begy