The Year of the Dog

Lin, Grace. The Year of the Dog. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2006.

Grace Lin’s The Year of the Dog follows Pacy Lin, a spirited Taiwanese-American girl, throughout a year of the Chinese Lunar Calendar. When Pacy’s mom tells her that the Year of the Dog is said to be the year that people find both friends and themselves, Pacy is determined to follow this through. The latter proves to be the more difficult task, as she is unsure of exactly where she fits into society as a Taiwanese-American. At one point, Pacy declares, “It’s not fair. To Americans, I’m too Chinese, and to Chinese people, I’m too American. So which one am I supposed to be?" (Lin 105). She questions issues of identity in a simple, at times humorous way. Chinese traditions and values are very present throughout the novel. Pacy's family holds their heritage very dear, while embracing American culture as well. Scattered throughout the book are small illustrations that appear as if Pacy drew them herself. This, added to the fact that the book is in Pacy’s voice, makes the novel seem like we’re reading Pacy’s journal throughout the year.

The Year of the Dog is based on Grace Lin’s own family and childhood. In the author’s note, Lin states that she wrote The Year of the Dog because “it was the book I wished I had had when I was growing up” (136). She writes about issues that she had dealt with as a child, many of which are common to Asian-American children, and some that are common to all children, regardless of cultural identity. Issues of Pacy's identity conflict and confusion are laced throughout the novel, along with matters of family life, school projects, and crushes. The Year of the Dog is a great piece of multicultural literature, as Lin wrote it to be a mirror for children who feel the way she did as a child. The book also serves as a window into the culture of Taiwanese-American culture, positively depicting a family who treasures their heritage while incorporating elements of the culture that surrounds them.