This graphic novel is written by Gene Luen Yang, the creator of American Born Chinese (on my to-read pile). It follows a few years in the life of Dennis Ouyang, a young man whose passion for video games conflicts with his father's plan for him: get good grades, go to medical school, and become a successful gastroenterologist. When his father dies, Dennis falls off this track and begins skipping class to spend hours upon hours gaming. In fact, his grades suffer so much that he gets kicked out of college. That night, he is visited by four little creatures who look like angels and who have a message from his father: gastroenterology is his destiny, and they have come to get him back on track.
Level Up is often funny (and sometimes a little gross), and it deals with the big questions that all young people have to ask themselves as they mature. Who decides what my life will be? What do I owe to myself, and what do I owe to others? Is it enough to simply pursue my own happiness? I really enjoyed watching Dennis answer these questions for himself in Level Up.
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