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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/227350.Shortcomings?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Shortcomings" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/photo.goodreads.com/books/1188748743m/227350.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/227350.Shortcomings?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Shortcomings</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/43554.Adrian_Tomine">Adrian Tomine</a><br/><br/>
  <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8552837?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
  rating: 4 of 5 stars<br/>this book had some good dialogue and the characters felt very familiar. some of the characters include a disillusioned (and assholish) japanese guy, a commitment-phobic korean lesbian, a couple of white girls who had never been with an asian guy, and a runaway girlfriend that ends up with a "not-white" photographer who happens to speak japanese. but these quick characterizations don't really do the book justice. most of the characters reveal more complexities than that and there isn't an easy answer to that question about why you react differently to different interracial couples. it was refreshing to see a slice of the conversations i've had with asian men and women play out in this book without it ending in an annoying "moral of the story" kind of way. but mostly, i liked it because it is the first comix that i've read with asian characters that didn't treat the whole thing ridiculously. i could believe the characters and i could believe the story. it felt like reality; messy relationships and no easy answers.*
<br/>
<br/>*i read american born chinese and i thought it was okay but it was a little too strange. the monkey allegory didn't sit right with me and neither did the stereotypical "cousin" in the book. i appreciate what it does but it's not my cup of tea.
  <br/><br/><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/21957?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

sunny's review
rating:
bookshelves: comix

this book had some good dialogue and the characters felt very familiar. some of the characters include a disillusioned (and assholish) japanese guy, a commitment-phobic korean lesbian, a couple of white girls who had never been with an asian guy, and a runaway girlfriend that ends up with a "not-white" photographer who happens to speak japanese. but these quick characterizations don't really do the book justice. most of the characters reveal more complexities than that and there isn't an easy answer to that question about why you react differently to different interracial couples. it was refreshing to see a slice of the conversations i've had with asian men and women play out in this book without it ending in an annoying "moral of the story" kind of way. but mostly, i liked it because it is the first comix that i've read with asian characters that didn't treat the whole thing ridiculously. i could believe the characters and i could believe the story. it felt like re...more

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