Binh gets in trouble for fighting back against a racist bully in school, and has time to reflect on the incident on a silent meditation retreat weekend with his parents and siblings (and NO video games). There is little dialogue, but plenty of thought bubbles, and one nun gathers the kids at the retreat to tell them stories of the Buddha. Binh imagines himself into the stories - and imagines them as different levels in a video game - leaving the retreat with a different perspective than he started with.

Quotes

"How do we go on living, knowing that suffering s all around us and death is coming for us all?" (38)

[thought bubble] It wasn't a big deal. Sure, he's a stupid jerk, but that's not it...The real problem is I don't fit in anywhere. At school, I'm not American enough. At home, I'm not Vietnamese enough. I'm just sick and tired of always being "not enough." (82)

"Before you can determine the length of your journey, you must know if you are facing in the right direction." (127)

"Perhaps instead of trying to lose yourself in the moment, you should think of it as trying to...find yourself in the moment." (128) ( )

*reviewed from uncorrected eARC via netgalley*

fiction / teaching Buddhist concepts through graphic novel

Binh (who loves videogames and who has been in trouble at school for fighting with his bullies) and his family take a trip to a silent meditation retreat, where he learns a lot about himself and how to manage his feelings through Buddhist teachings.

This was ok, but is only of interest if your kid really wants to know more about Buddhism. Otherwise, they'll lost interest when it gets texty and dry. Otherwise, the art is appealing (by award-winning illustrator Chan Chau) and the video game dream aspects are fun. ( )