The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam: An Illustrated Memoir

I'll start out by saying that I'm not mixed race (just white) nor descended from recent immigrants (all of my living family was born here in America), so I assume that I'm not really a part of this book's target audience. But I loved it! I've recently gotten into graphic novels, and this popped up as "recommended for me," and it was so cheap ($5.60 when I ordered it), that I thought, "What the heck?" and ordered it. I'm so glad I did!The story was entirely compelling. I loved how the author uncovered all these different versions of her great-grandfather's narrative, showing how hard it is to discover the "truth" about anything). And the mix of photos, drawings, stick figures, and playbills added variety and depth to the story.At the end of the book, Fleming writes, "I started out on this journey with the question, 'Who was Long Tack Sam?' ... And now that I know what a big life he had, I'm left with the question, 'Why was he forgotten?'" Fleming speculates that he was forgotten because maybe... vaudeville died, or he was Chinese, or he was an immigrant. But how much do any of us know about our great-grandparents? I know next to nothing about mine. It is very difficult to keep *someone else's* memories alive, which is all any of us have of people who died before we knew them. This book, however, has made me consider undertaking a similar project about my grandmother's life. Not for publication but for my daughter, who was named after her great-grandmother who died before she was born.

What can we possibly know about our ancestors? What evidence may we rely upon? Why do people have different recollections of the same events? In following Ann Marie Fleming's quest to know more about her great-granfather, we learn much about the process of history and detection and learn to question the family narratives that have been presented to us. A moving experience.

I loved everything about this book! The story, both of Long Tack Sam and his great-granddaughter's journey to learn about her ancestor, are amazing and riveting. The illustrations, photos, and newspaper clippings are perfect, as are the history, art, and show biz timelines along the side of the pages. A must-read!

With its unique combination of cartoons, photos, newspaper clippings, this is everything a graphic novel should be. It's entertaining, informative and a page turner of sorts. As the memoir progresses, you get drawn into Long Tack Sam's life and you root for him. I felt myself wishing that I had been around to catch his act.

The binding was messed up and pages are falling out. When I ordered this I thought it was new not used. I would t have spent $14 on a book that’s falling apart.

An insightful, delightful book. A very personal story that is bigger than it first appears and reminds us all we have storiesworth researching and remembering. The confusing, conflicting details of family memories are presented in a creative wayand the multiple perspectives are woven together with history, bystanders, Fleming and family in a compelling and funny presentation that wins you over only a few pages in.

i treasure my copy. much creativity, originality, intelligence.i bought second copy for my high school aged granddaughter.

Set text for my eldest son's English course. Best price, quick delivery.

Had to read this for a first year English class. Found the story of Long Tack Sam interesting, but found the ongoing narrative of the author trying to find out about Long Tack Sam less compelling. Also seems rather simplistic in the choice of words and style. The documentary she made on this is much more fitting for the style.

A wonderful and highly engaging graphic novel by Fleming. She has carried out extensive historical research and presents it in a fresh, entertaining way. The aesthetic techniques capture qualities of animated film and prompt us to consider alternative histories. Long Tack Sam is an inspiring character: watching his story unfold led me to reflect on my own history and culture and consider how I too could become a "citizen of the world."