Saints

Saints is a graphic novel that follows a girl named Four-Girl in late 19th century China. The story takes place during the Boxer Rebellion, a period of violent anti-foreign and anti-Christian uprising. Four-Girl struggles with her identity and place in Chinese society as she encounters Catholic missionaries and their teachings. Her journey intersects with historical events and figures while she navigates between traditional Chinese culture and Western influences. The parallel narrative to Boxers explores the same historical conflict from an opposing perspective, showing another side of this complex period in Chinese history. The artwork uses a limited color palette and combines historical accuracy with supernatural elements from Chinese and Christian traditions. This graphic novel examines themes of faith, identity, and cultural conflict through the lens of a specific historical moment. The story raises questions about colonialism, tradition versus change, and how individuals find their path during times of social upheaval.

Readers appreciate Saints as a companion to Yang's Boxers, with many noting it provides crucial perspective by showing the other side of the Boxer Rebellion conflict. Many reviews highlight the strong character development of Four-Girl/Vibiana and her internal struggles with faith and identity. Common praise focuses on the integration of Chinese history with personal narrative, and the use of color to distinguish between reality and visions. Several readers note the effective portrayal of religious conversion and cultural conflict. Main criticisms include that the story feels less complete when read alone without Boxers, and some readers found the pacing slower than its companion volume. A few reviews mention wanting more historical context. Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (8,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (120+ ratings) LibraryThing: 4.1/5 (300+ ratings) "The shorter length works against it," notes one Goodreads reviewer. "But the parallel storytelling with Boxers creates something unique when read together."

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🔹 Gene Luen Yang became the third graphic novelist to be named the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature (2016-2017), using the platform to promote his "Reading Without Walls" challenge. 🔹 The book parallels the lives of two martyrs: Joan of Arc from 15th century France and Qiu Chunji, a Chinese boxer killed during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. 🔹 The artwork uses distinct color palettes to differentiate between the two storylines - warm oranges and reds for Joan of Arc's story, and cool blues and greens for Qiu Chunji's narrative. 🔹 Yang spent over 10 years researching and developing the book, including traveling to China and France to visit historical sites connected to both stories. 🔹 The author drew inspiration from his own religious background as a Catholic and his Chinese heritage to explore themes of faith, cultural identity, and martyrdom across different times and cultures.