Enlighten Me by Minh Lê (review)

Reviewed by: Enlighten Me by Minh Lê Meg Cornell Lê, Minh Enlighten Me; illus. by Chan Chau. Little, 2023 [144p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780759555471 $24.99 Paper ed. ISBN 9780759555488 $12.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780316395526 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 4-7 After Bình fights with bullies who had targeted him for his Vietnamese heritage, the introspective gamer doesn't understand why he's the one in trouble with his peers, principal, and parents. He doesn't want to talk about it, but that won't be difficult, since his worried parents respond by taking the family to silent meditation camp. At first, an anxious Bình struggles without the distraction of his Game Boy, but Sister Peace, a Buddhist nun at the camp, soon gathers the youngest camp-goers to tell them Jataka tales, the stories of the Buddha's past lives; as Bình listens, he envisions himself as the hero within the stories. Chau's art references classic fighting and adventure RPG videogames as Bình, in the Buddha's former lives, fights against ferocious demons by selecting weapons from a user interface, with "Round One: FIGHT!" slashing diagonally across a panel. Back at camp, Bình grapples with the lessons he takes from these tales and what it means to seek inner wisdom and rely on others in his meditation sessions. Wordless panels following tales are no less thoughtful: after Bình listens to a Jataka tale about the Buddha as a golden deer whose herd refuses to abandon him to a hunter, warm-tone circles drawn around the family as they silently eat tenderly convey their emotional reconnection. As Bình comes to understand more about community building and Buddhism itself, these [End Page 62] same circles of light come to encompass all campers. Mixing a cheerful manga-like style and cheeky gaming references with a deeply reflective protagonist and identitycentered plot, Lê's unique graphic novel provides plenty to contemplate. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois