Gene Luen Yang Speaks at Friday Morning Assembly

By CARLY CANSECO, JILLIAN CHENG, KAYLEE GONG, AUDREY KIM, and DIYA SANDEEP

“If you have something burning inside of you, don’t let it go out, don’t let go of it — you can hang onto your dream while still respecting your parents’ expectations,” Gene Luen Yang concluded at the end of his assembly last Friday. As the crowd cheered loudly, the hearts of many Exonians were warmed as they watched an influential author of their childhoods stand before them. 

  Yang, an accomplished American cartoonist, has received many acknowledgments for his works, especially for his iconic book American Born Chinese, the first graphic novel to be a finalist for the National Book Award. Throughout his short stay at Exeter, he hosted a graphic novel workshop, a luncheon for preps, a dinner for members of the art club, and a memorable assembly. 

Prep Avni Murarka described her surprise after hearing about Yang’s arrival at Exeter. After attending Yang’s graphic novel workshop and conversing with him during the Q&A portion, Muraka reflected, “I read American Born Chinese when I was young, and it’s a book that’s stuck with me throughout my childhood. [...] [Yang] felt very kind and funny. It was good to know that this person I’ve looked up to for the past few years is so great in person, too.”

“The thing I admire most about Gene’s work is the way he weaves parts of his own life and experiences into his books,” upper Wilson Rhee added. “This is especially evident in American Born Chinese, which explores aspects of Gene’s Asian identity in America. The characters in ABC feel more complex and accurate because their experiences mirror Gene’s in many ways. Gene’s reflections on his Asian American experience make his books very important for anyone who identifies with a non-American part of their cultural or ethnic identity, especially the children and grandchildren of immigrants.”

Not only has Yang’s popular book American Born Chinese profoundly impacted the Exeter community, but so has Dragon Hoops. Chosen as this year’s prep class summer common reading book, the nonfiction book about the legendary basketball team Yang previously taught at served as a connecting point between the new freshmen on campus. 

Instructor in English and prep event coordinator Katie Brule explained the book selection. “The book’s main message is about what it looks like to take a step into something that feels maybe a little bit unknown but is a risk that you really should take because it will set you on a path towards success or something exciting,” she continued.  “I thought that was a really important message when you think about what it means to come in here as a ninth grader and enter this brand new unknown world that might feel scary, but sometimes you just have to take that first step to get on the path.”

Yang’s uniqueness was also a significant factor in selecting him for an assembly. “There are so many interesting aspects that we don’t necessarily see in just bringing any author on campus,” Brule said. “He’s both visual, written, and works in comics. He is multifaceted, and his assembly appeals to several different people.”

During his engaging assembly, Yang skipped through emoji slides of his parents’ feelings towards his career, sketches of his work, and images of comic books encapsulating his journey to becoming a cartoonist. His passionate story-telling and conviction captivated hundreds of Exonians. Warm laughter, gasps, and interested murmuring permeated throughout the Assembly Hall.

Senior Isabella Jin, a member of the engrossed crowd, enjoyed the execution of Yang’s presentation.“He had a very clear storyline and message, making listening easy. He was also very outgoing and honest about his emotions and the situations he faced, which made his assembly very relatable. His voice was loud and clear, and his open engagement made everything more enamoring,” she said.

As Yang spoke on stage, he touched upon many relatable phases of his life — from the moment he realized he loved comics to the struggles he faced while getting published to his current state of success and the journey of receiving parental approval. He began with his first foray into reading comics and growing up collecting them, then transitioned into writing comics with his best friend in the fifth grade. After taking a break in high school because comics weren’t considered “cool,” Yang returned to his passion and emphasized how it is possible to do what you want and still enjoy life. 

Yang continued with comics as a side passion and attended UC Berkeley to become a software developer. “One of the things about becoming an adult is figuring out how to balance pursuing my dreams with my parents’ expectations,” Yang reflected. Despite the countless objections and warnings, Yang still attempted his first comic after college. Returning to his fifth-grade production roots, he xeroxed copies and self-published his comics while also having a full-time job as a software developer. After countless ebbs and flows of producing and publishing, Yang broke through with his well-known favorite, American Born Chinese. 

A few years later, Yang published his first Superman comic with DC Comics, the same type of comic as the first one he ever bought. Yang explained, “[My dad] told me that he was happy when he opened it up and saw my name in the credits. So, this is not just a story of how I eventually became a published cartoonist but also how I finally managed to please my immigrant father.”

The laughter that resounded throughout the assembly hall soon turned to applause. From beneath a large projected screen depicting a “happy” emoji, Yang paused and looked out into the crowd. After spending much of his speech on his journey through the comic industry and pursuing his passion, Yang redirected his presentation towards fulfilling the never-ending goal of parental expectations. With a pair of immigrant parents, he had struggled with balancing his passion for comics with a more “parently acceptable” job. However, throughout his life, he explained how he found a balance and achieved both goals, “What I want to tell you is I think there is a way to navigate that, where you do not lose sight of your dreams. If you are smart and disciplined about your time, you can take your dreams as seriously as you take your parents’ expectations,” Yang explained.

Many students felt inspired by Yang’s words. “I think a lot of creative minds at Exeter can get bogged down by work and stress, but Gene was at a full-time computer science job when he self-published his first mini-comics,” Rhee said.  “It’s very inspiring that Gene was able to break into the comics industry while working a job, and I think artists at Exeter should commit to meeting their creative goals while keeping up with their studies.”

Faculty also described their appreciation for Yang’s assembly. “I was grateful for both opportunities [the dinner and the assembly] to hear him speak as I got a clear sense of why he is successful,” Instructor in Art Adam Hosmer said. “He works hard and is a great communicator.”

Brule summarized, “I hope [the students] engaged with what Yang was saying – indulge all the things you’re interested in while managing important work with relationships and identity. In that work, like Yang, you can bring a creative approach to serious topics.”