Newcomer youth face a unique challenge— they must adjust to a new culture at the same time when most youth are just starting to discover their identities. Will they fully adapt to the new culture they are surrounded by? Or will they keep some of their cultural identity while adopting some of the new? Fully adjusting to a new culture could mean losing connection to their families that find it harder to adapt. But not adapting at all might result in social consequences at school and with friends. What’s more, they often find themselves unrepresented in the popular media of their new country. Newcomer youth representation in media (such as through books, graphic novels, movies, and tv shows) can help show what it is really like for newcomer youth as they find balance between their heritage culture and the culture they’re now immersed in—between their family ties & traditions and their new friends & social customs.
Authors of these books and graphic novels bring life and authenticity to their words and pictures with their own experiences. Most of these books and graphic novels end up with the protagonist finding a happy middle ground. This way, youth can keep their cultural identities but also discover new parts of themselves. Newcomer youth representation gives youth a way to see themselves in book characters that are working out the same complicated thoughts and feelings as they are.
Read this year’s Markham Reads, All Our Ordinary Stories by Teresa Wong. A graphic novel on the different barriers an immigrant daughter faces as she tries to connect with her parents.
You can also find similar graphic novel recommendations on the Asian Diaspora experience here:
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