Level Up

4/1/2012

Dennis Ouyang is always considered himself lucky. His parents immigrated from China so he could have a better life, he's popular at school, and he's a whiz at video games like "Escape from Vorkalia." But lately he's been struggling academically, and his dad walks in on him gaming when he's supposed to be studying. His father's sudden death is a wake-up call, leaving Dennis to cope with the fact that all his Chinese father sacrificed for him may never have been truly appreciated. After a failed attempt to make his dad proud, Dennis rebels by quitting school and making it his mission to make a living playing video games full-time. But just as “growing up” doesn't mean giving up your favorite hobby, Dennis realizes that he needs to focus less on what he's gained and more on what he's lost.

gene luen yang ꞏ thien pham ꞏ coming of age ꞏ memoir ꞏ graphic novel ꞏ chinese-american ꞏ parent-child relationship ꞏ video games ꞏ grief ꞏ family ꞏ education ꞏ friendship ꞏ self-discovery ꞏ loss ꞏ inspirational ꞏ grieving ꞏ change ꞏ diversity ꞏ cultural identity ꞏ identity ꞏ acceptance