This week’s staff pick is a two volume graphic novel from award-winning author Gene Luen Yang. Set in China during the Boxer Rebellion, Boxers & Saints details the history of both sides engaged in the conflict. In volume 1 readers follow Little Bao as he recruits an army of Kung Fu trained Boxers to fight China’s “foreign devils”. Volume 2 focuses on Four-Girl, a young girl unwanted by her family who finds solace in her new Christian faith. A beautifully drawn, heartbreaking, yet humorous, unique take on an important historical event.
“China’s Boxer Rebellion is the unlikely backdrop for this graphic treatment of young villagers on the opposite sides of history. Bao wants to drive out the white devils that poison his country with opium and Christianity. Four-Girl is an unwanted daughter who finds purpose in the missionary life. Their stories collide in a moment of grace that could only be penned by the Printz Award–winning author of American Born Chinese.” — Library Journal Reviews
